The Death of the Third Hokage
by flame's shadow
Summary: What if, on the night of the Kyuubi attack, the Third Hokage sealed the Demon Fox into Naruto with Minato's help. A twist on the Naruto universe, where Naruto grows up with a caring family and with the pressures of being the son of the fourth hokage.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Naruto or any affiliated characters in any way, shape, or form. Hope you enjoy!

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**_First Arc: Ripples in Time_**

A single change in a time line of events is like a snowflake alighting upon a still pond—ripples of change fly outward, disturbing the calm waters. A simple change would not cause a great ripple; this case however was a tsunami of chaos.

The night of the Kyuubi attack, the Sandaime managed to make his way to Minato's location before the barrier was created. As Minato Namikaze faced down the lord of demons, the God of Shinobi stood by his side, providing the necessary seals and sacrifice to contain the foul presence.

That night, Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki did not die. Rather, the former Hokage of the village hidden in the leaf, Shiruzen Sarutobi, died. He gave his soul to seal the demon in the new-born child, trusting the young man and woman beside him to usher in a new age.

The seal quickly set, the bond forming over the young infant. Minato sealed away the other half of the demon with the toad Gamatora, the legendary scroll toad. As the light faded from the eyes of Sarutobi, Minato and Kushina wept over their child, and the great burden they had placed upon their son. The next day, October 11th, the Fourth Hokage of Konoha spoke to his people. His speech, and the changes to destiny that occurred the prior night, marked the beginning of the Age of Change in the world of Shinobi.

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Minato looked nervously out over the crowd, unsettled by the task that lay before him. He could still see sections of the village that lay in ruins, the sound of workers and repairmen already starting to fix the damage.

'They have no idea why the fox appeared. They know nothing of the true history of this village.'

Sighing, he looked over the speech that had been prepared for him by the council. He already knew that he was going to ad lib from the dictated words. 'Hell, to be more accurate I'm going to throw the whole damn thing out.'

Rage boiled through the man as he thought of how the council had wanted to silence the whole ordeal, to call it a random act of nature. Still, it did hold some appeal compared to the life to which he was about to submit his firstborn.

'Naruto…I hope you forgive me for what this might cause. Still, your mother and I will be here to see you through it, at least for some of the journey.' He heard the door open behind him, and knew the measured clip that paced towards his desk. Turning, the young lord took in the appearance of a silver haired youth, his only living student. He was dressed in normal mourning robes, but had a simple black mask covering his mouth and an eye patch covering his left eye.

"So, they sent you to come collect me, huh? I would have thought it would be Homura or Koharu…"

"Those two are beside themselves at the moment. Currently, they are sitting silently by the coffin of their teammate. No one's talked to either one yet, mostly because they aren't sure how they'd react." The silver-haired man shrugged, his hands placed in his pockets, even as his eyes studied the floor.

"That bad huh? Well, guess I better go face the music with you." Minato turned, grabbing the official robes of his office from the chair. Securing the hat over his head, he proceeded out the door, the silver haired man leading the way. "Kakashi, if anything happens today…"

Kakashi cut him off quickly. "Don't worry about it. I already talked to Kushina, and agreed to watch over Naruto should anything come of today."

Minato sighed in relief. "You know, after I won that first argument with her, I had hopes that she would be doing things behind my back a little less. Guess that was too much to wish for, huh?"

His student smiled back at him through his mask, his eyes curving up in silent agreement. The steps of the duo echoed off the stairs as they ascended to the height of the Hokage tower. As Minato turned towards the dais, he saw his wife and newly born son, along with several of the clan heads. He noticed the frown adorning Uchiha Fugaku's face and felt his own face tighten.

'He was very outspoken about either raising Naruto as a weapon and keeping his birth a secret, or outright killing him. He, and Danzo.' A scowl started to form on Minato's face, before he noticed his student's hand resting on his shoulder.

"I know it may be difficult to speak in front of everyone about Naruto, but this is for him as well. He is family, and family means just as much as a teammate, right sensei?" Kakashi spoke in a comforting tone, trying to ease his teacher's nerves. Minato nodded briskly, proceeding to the podium. As he approached, people stood, acknowledging his presence and leadership.

"People of Konohagakure. Last night, a terrible secret was unleashed upon the people. From the time of the First Shinobi War, there have been those who live amongst you who have protected the populace of the hidden village. These individuals are known as Jinchuuriki. They are human sacrifices, giving their entire lives and beings to the purpose of containing one of the legendary tailed demons. The wife of the first Hokage, Mito Uzumaki, contained the nine tailed demon fox. The container to come after her was Kushina Uzumaki, my wife."

At this point, Minato paused, looking out over the crowd. There was a decided quiet that surrounded the area at this point. The audience seemed struck by these revelations, but was confused as to what they meant regarding the funeral. Minato realized there was a building tension, so he forged ahead to break off the trouble.

"As many of you know, the first Hokage did not conceive with his wife. That is because during birth, there is a weakening of the seal that contains the tailed beasts. My wife was deemed strong enough to contain the beast through childbirth, but she still chose to conceive far from the village, in a desire to protect the people. Last night, we were attacked by a mysterious ninja, powerful enough in his own right to challenge your Hokage. He did this after defeating several of our top ANBU operatives, stationed as our guardians. Following the birth of my son Naruto, this ninja separated himself and Kushina from the rest of us, and managed through some unknown method to remove the Kyuubi from her keeping. This man led the demon fox to attack and destroy Konoha, and it was through the actions of brave shinobi and kunoichi that we all stand here today."

Minato paused for a moment, looking down. He forced back the tears that threatened at the edges of his own eyes. He was known for his resolve though, and brought it to bear at the moment.

"The bravest of those was Sarutobi Shiruzen. He has been hailed as the God of Shinobi, called The Professor, and to some was known by his most precious title; father." A tightening look came over the assembled Sarutobi family at this, tears trailing down a few faces. Minato nodded to them, silently consoling, before continuing his speech.

"Last night, he performed the most powerful sealing technique this village has, but it came with a price. It required he sacrifice his life to seal away the demon. My wife was too weakened to take up the mantle of Jinchuuriki again; it was passed to the only remaining kin of the Uzumaki clan, the only one who might be able to contain the power of the nine tailed fox. My son, Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto is the container for the most powerful demon in this village, and is the son of your Fourth Hokage. On October 10th, Sarutobi Shiruzen knowingly sacrificed his life to protect this village during his fifty sixth year of life. On October 10th, Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto unknowingly sacrificed his life to protect this village during his first day of life. Those two shinobi, along with all the other brave shinobi and kunoichi were taken from us in the defense of this village."

A sigh escaped the Hokage that belied his age. It seemed to hold far more weight and baggage than thirty years of life should have held. He looked up tiredly at the crowd facing him. Many wore troubled expressions that showed conflicting emotions. Several were drawn back in visages of neutrality, little emotion betrayed. Many more had their heads bowed, struggling to deal with conflicting feelings of loyalty and fear.

"The travesty of yesterday was an attack on our village. It was an attack led by an individual with no name, no face and no village. We will find him, and we will prevent this from happening again." Minato paused to look over the crowd, getting some to raise their heads and look him in the eye. When they did, he watched as they ended their internal conflict and would smile back, agreeing with their leader. Ending the silence, Minato looked down solemnly before continuing his speech.

"The final words of the Third Hokage must be the foundation of this village: 'When tree leaves dance, one shall find flames. The fire's shadow will illuminate the village, and once again, tree leaves shall bud anew'. Even in his final moments, the man was a professor, and a teacher. His words hold special meaning for our village. The dancing leaves are the life of the people, their flame the will of fire. That will of fire is what pushes our people to succeed and persevere in the face of danger. The fire's shadow is the Hokage, and by the protection of the Hokage, life again returns to a village. Today, we pay honor to the sacrifice of the Third Hokage, who gave his life such that our village might prosper. Today, we pay honor to the sacrifice of the countless other Shinobi who helped to limit the destruction of our village. Today, we mourn; Tomorrow, we begin looking for the man who attacked our village." Nods and murmurs went throughout the crowd. Fugaku Uchiha stood slowly, and Minato felt his stance stiffen. Then, as one, the rest of the village council stood. Fugaku Uchiha bent at the waist, and the rest of the council followed. Before long, the rest of the village stood and paid respect to their leader. As the entirety of Konoha bowed to the leader, he felt himself smile lightly. 'Guess they'll still stand by me even now. Thanks for all the help old man.' Minato smiled out at the crowd, and gave a small bow in return. A ripple ran through the crowd, and one by one they straightened.

The crowd standing as one, looked to their leader, their eyes all set into one of rage. These were eyes that would follow a leader into the depths of hell and back again. Together, they would seek vengeance against one who would attack their village. But first, they would mourn. The Hokage walked forward, nodding somberly to the two surviving teammates of the great Professor. He placed a single flower upon the grave, a simple white rose. Namikaze Kushina was next after this, her own white rose lying down next to her husband's, while her braided red hair billowed over her simple black robe. The babe cradled in her arms slept soundly, whisker marks clearly showing on his face. His eyes were closed, and his face turned towards his mother's breast. Countless others streamed past her and her husband, sending her the wary look, both respectful and afraid of the bundle she held. It was many hours later that the stream of individuals trickled down, till none were left standing around the casket but a small family of three, a student, and a teacher.

"Jiraiya, thank you again for coming on such short notice. I have a feeling that we'll need the use of your contacts sooner than you had originally planned." Minato turned to a tall, broad shouldered man with long spiky white hair. His hair was set in a ponytail, and his face held eyes that spoke of a great pain and sorrow. A weathered hand reached out, softly touching the framed picture before the giant of a man. A light rain had started to fall, and with it, streams painted down the face of the white haired man.

"I understand Minato. The death of Sarutobi, combined with the sudden departure of my former teammate, only suggest ill tidings for the village. I just wish we all had longer to mourn." The blond nodded his agreement. None dared speak, lest the moment of sorrow be broken. The only sounds were that of the rain, and the mewling of the young babe.

"Minato, I want to take Naruto in from the rain. Can you get away from the council today? If not, I'll see if I can stay with Hannah and Hiashi…" Kushina's voice was very weak. She had fought against him to be there for the ceremony, but even now she had difficulty standing. The biggest sign though was her lack of enthusiasm. Usually, nothing could calm the red haired kunoichi.

"The council can wait till tomorrow. As I said, today is a day of mourning, but tomorrow we act." Minato turned to his wife, flashing her his rare grin. She caught it, her own smile creeping onto her face. "Besides, I'd like to spend some time with my newly born son. It's not every day a man becomes a father, you know?" His smile brought a heat to her face, causing Kushina to duck her head quickly.

Kushina smiled down at Naruto, a blush adorning her face. No matter how terrible she felt, Minato could always bring that out in her. 'Still, he has a village to run and things to do. What am I doing being a complete stick in the mud?' Setting her face in a scowl, Kushina fixed her husband with a stern glare. "Listen here you! You said that you were going to be a Hokage that the village would respect one day. The best way for you to do that right now is to go and be with your people and their council. You can't stay at home! You have to help them all, because their all hurting just as much as we are, dattebane!"

Minato blinked at his wife for a moment, caught completely unaware. A snort was heard coming from the tall white haired man next to him, which quickly became uproarious laughter. "Haha, heh, sounds like she really does have you whipped, huh Minato? Heh, makes me glad I never got Tsunade to settle down with me, you know?" Minato looked at his teacher with a pained look on his face. The snickers on the other side of him informed him that his own student was also having a good laugh on his behalf. "Look, Kakashi and I here will take care of Kushina at your own estates. You however get the unenviable task of dealing with those council blowhards. Who, by the way, are sure to notice you deviated from that lovely script of theirs…" Jiraiya's face was in a schoolboy grin once more, his eyes twinkling with mirth. Kakashi shook his head at being roped into babysitting, but gave his former teacher a thumb's up. In a flash, the three of them had disappeared.

'They didn't even wait to see if I would argue with her…' Minato thought despondently, his face in an uncharacteristic puppy-dog look. Sighing again, he straightened before turning to face the steps down into the tower. The council room waited for him at the very bottom, where he was sure a full meeting was just waiting for his appearance. Fondling the handle of an oddly shaped kunai, the blonde smirked. 'Well, no time like the present to make an appearance.'

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Well, there's the first chapter everyone, hope you like this little introduction. Before any of you ask, I have to set the stage for the few changes having a family will have on Naruto's life before I get into the meat and potato's of the Alternate Universe development. Make no mistake, there will be some serious changes to the normal development of the series, though I'm loathe to give anything away just yet. Drop me a review and let me know what you think, I look forward to hearing more. As for the eventual couple pairings, well, those will arise naturally over the course of the fic, so be patient, and give me some trust okay? As I'm on break now, I plan on writing a lot (hopefully enough that when school starts I can still post one a week despite some exams) but college is a deadly environment for fanfics. Leave me a review and let me know what you think though, I look forward to hearing any and all comments. Thanks and catch you next time!


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Naruto or any affiliated characters in any way, shape, or form. Hope you enjoy!

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**_First Arc: Ripples in Time_**

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"We had an agreed upon speech that he differed from noticeably. This is a breach of conduct on his part." A middle aged man with graying hair and a crippled arm had a stern look on his face as he stared around the half-circle of gathered shinobi.

"Come off it, Danzou. The man was speaking about his son and family there. I'm sure the Hokage had a perfectly good reason for revealing something of that nature." A black haired young man, hair pulled back in a ponytail, glowered at the other man. His chin sported a goatee and a set of scars flanked above and below his right eye.

"As much as he broke conduct by altering the speech, he was within his rights as both our Hokage and as a clan head, Danzou-san." A man wearing dark sunglasses and a trench coat assisted the younger clan head.

"Thank you Shibiki. I also would like to formally state, that I, Nara Shikaku, along with Inoichi Yamanaka and Chouza Akimichi support the Hokage's decision." The man with the ponytail nodded towards his teammates on his right and left. One was blond and skinny with blue eyes, and the other had long reddish brown hair and a heavy set build.

"Regardless, he has presented us with a troubling position as the village council. While some will see his son as the demon himself, there is also a need to preserve the image of the Hokage's lineage." A man with long black hair, and expressionless white eyes glanced between the various individuals. Long, delicate seeming hands, were drawn from within the man's fine white kimono. "On the one hand, we know now the reason why both Mito Uzumaki and Kushina Uzumaki were brought to the leaf village in the first place..." A light breeze sound was heard at this point, almost imperceptible, like a bird quietly taking flight. Not one of the council members looked up at the disturbance.

"...On the other hand, we now have to deal with the public's concern about the type of secrets that are being kept from them. If the public reacts negatively to this news, there will be more questions asked about certain clan's secrets that others might find…discomforting." White eyes turned towards Fugaku Uchiha, whose brown hair covered red eyes with spinning tomoes. A breeze gusted once more in the room, this time powerful enough to rustle the various papers laid out on the tables.

Following the breeze, a tall young man stood in the center of the circle, blonde hair covering cerulean blue eyes that pierced each individual they passed over. "I was to understand that the council was set to meet tomorrow. Surely there is a good reason why the Hokage did not merit an invitation to such an event?" The voice that spoke was flippant, but there was a biting tone hidden beneath. Staring around the room, hard eyes of ice settled upon each individual only long enough to fluster the person. The only one that drew slight smile from the man was the one with the crippled arm. He managed to hold his gaze long enough to unsettle the other members of the council. The slight smirk from the Hokage though did Danzou in, causing the older gentleman to grimace slightly before casting his eyes downward.

"I know what I said up there was slightly ad libed, I do hope you'll forgive me for that. However, I have called here someone from the ANBU corps to help supplement my decision." At this, the Hokage stepped slightly to the side, revealing a young man by his side. The young teenager seemed to hold onto a brush and scroll very tightly, with a bowl cut of black hair and black eyes. "This young man's name is Sado Unishiro, and he has the ability to create ink images of anything he sees by channeling chakra into the scroll as his brush lays against it." The young man nodded at this, opening the scroll and placing his brush against it. As he did, an image began to take shape of the meeting room, right down to the deepening scowl of Danzou.

"With the help of Yamanaka-san, I will be able to create a full account for that night allowing for credibility and verification by outside sources. Yamanaka-san, along with Unishiro-san will enter my mind in the presence of the council. What memories they uncover will be painted clearly for the council to see. It is at that time that you will understand the full reason why I took the measures I did today." With that, the Hokage nodded at another one of the members of the council. The blonde that was sitting next to Shikaku Nara rose and made his way to the floor. Save for the fact that the blonde hair was slightly darker in color, the man could have been Minato's brother or cousin. The near look-alike left his seat and ventured into the circle in front of the council.

Several of the members of the council were ruffled by this turn in events, but did nothing as the three stood next to one another. The blonde council member placed one of his hands gently on the Hokage's brow, the other one set down upon the youth's head. As the images began to progress onto the scroll, the council was first drawn to the fact that the Hokage had been fearful of his wife's birth.

There he sat, his hand upon his wife's seal, holding back the power of the fox while his wife struggled to bring Naruto into the world. Not long after the birth though, there came the appearance of the masked man. Several of the council were surprised by the quick reactions of the Hokage, his movements rescuing the newborn from the assailants grasp. Still, his teleportation away from the masked man was unexpected. More so than this was when the Hokage returned instantly to his wife's side, albeit too late to stop the emergence of the demon fox, before disappearing back to his hideaway. Laying his wife next to their newborn son, the man left again to face the masked assailant.

They watched in awe as the two powerful ninja combated one another, space itself coming undone in order for each to gain a necessary upper hand. There however, was one audible gasp at the proclamation of the mysterious ninja's identity. Fugaku Uchiha moved to leave the chamber, but was held in place by the eyes of the rest of the council. Still, the brown haired clan head was highly disturbed to hear the infamous Madara implicated in the Demon Fox attack. The images concluded with the arrival of the Fourth in Konoha, and the subsequent plea of Sarutobi to be taken with them.

"Minato, I have not much life left in this world. The duty of a shinobi, and a hokage, are for the young. Let me use what few remaining years I have to extend the number of yours and your wife." The third's eyes seemed to plead to his replacement, and the blonde haired shinobi nodded ascension. Together, they left with the Demon Fox of Konoha. Through the interventions of Kushina and Sarutobi, the fox was restrained, both by chains of chakra and bonds of grasping earth. The council watched on as the Fourth Hokage placed a powerful sealing jutsu onto his son, the final movements marking the child as ready for the final act. As the third performed nine rapid seals, the council watched as the fox was drawn toward the sealing jutsu by the powerful chakra chains.

The fox thrashed against his restraints, but was pulled in against all odds, reaching close enough for Sarutobi to grasp onto him completely. Minato turned towards the Hokage at this point, his hand holding out a single green crystal gem. "This was left to me by Tsunade. Apparently, she decided I was worth it to risk fate on one more time. We'll seal half in Naruto, and half in this crystal, which I'll keep for now." The third nodded at this, and reached out to begin the sealing process. As quickly as the shinigami reached the fox, the demon was stripped of its power, splitting between the crystal and the blonde baby. Even through the painting, the calm quiet that descended upon the clearing was seemingly audible.

The Third panted, his eyes slowly beginning to close. "I want you to know, Minato, of my last words to the village. Let them know that these words must lead them in the years to come." Kushina struggled to sit up, and moved over beside the older man. She helped him to lie down, as Minato leaned close to his side.

"When tree leaves dance, one shall find flames. The fires shadow will illuminate the village, and the tree leaves will bud anew." The Fourth nodded at the proverb, and the third smiled, reaching out his hand toward that of Naruto. "This one is the one Jiraiya's prophecy spoke of, of that I am sure. He will need the power of both the fox, and his parents, if he is to assure the future." Minato nodded, and scooping up the tired old man in his arms, teleported the four of them to the hospital. The council watched as Kushina was rushed to the E.R., along with Naruto. Minato in turn left for an emergency meeting with the clan heads, and the images of the night began to fade. The ink finally ran black as the mind reading jutsu was brought to an end.

The council was silent for awhile as the last statement took hold over the council. "I believe I speak for the entirety of the council when I state that divination is hardly looked upon positively for making decisions, Lord Hokage." This was leveled by the bandaged man, looking directly towards the Hyuuga on the council. It was well known that the Hyuuga, beyond having the ability to see far into the physical distance, had developed several techniques for verifying divinations. The one given by Jiraiya though had been tested the most by the all-seeing eye. However, it was known for being impossible to verify, it's wording so vague and meaning so unclear that nothing could be determined with certainty in this claim.

"While divination is not well looked upon, the judgment of the enemy ninja's skills seem to be perfectly correct. There is not, to my knowledge, another ninja in known existence at the moment that has mastered space manipulation jutsu. Therefore, it would be safe to assume that this ninja would be someone who is possibly not known of currently." The calm voice of the Aburame clan head cut through the growing dissent of the council room. Glances were exchanged between members, before Fugaku spoke up personally.

"Lord Hokage, there is something I must report to the council at this time. On the night of the attack of the nine tailed fox, my wife and I were positioned to intercept a non-confirmed missing-nin outside of the village. On the night of the attack, we were completely overpowered during the moment we met with the target." Fugaku looked down at this moment, his pride causing him to falter. "During the attack, we noticed only the color of the mask of the assailant. It was the same as the one that attacked you later that night. We were both overcome though through the use of a terribly powerful genjutsu, one only accessible to those highly skilled in the use of the Sharingan. In fact, Madara is the last person we believe to have achieved this level of skill." Fugaku had his fists balled at his sides as he said this, his voice tight and his eyes squinting shut. There had been many lives lost that night, many of them from the Uchiha. It was hard to admit that the clan founder was the cause for this destruction.

The Hokage nodded his head at this, before turning to look Danzou in the eyes. Everyone in the room could sense the tension at this moment; the bickering between the Third Hokage and the warbird were well known already. To make matters worse, the tradition had passed down a generation to be continued by the Yondaime. "Danzou, though the divination possibly concerning Naruto's future will probably never be verified, the actions of Madara seem to hint that it would be wise to prepare him as well as possible. There will be need for Konoha to have a more powerful jinchuuriki than prior in the years to come." At this, the Hokage turned toward a shadowed corner of the council, out of which Jiraiya appeared.

"There have been rumors of new Jinchuuriki being formed in the last few years." The white haired man stepped forward, documents pulled from inside his red outer robe. "These are the info packets on four elder Jinchuuriki, two in Kumo and two in Iwa. In addition, I managed to gather information on the newest formed one in Suna." At this, the large man frowned, seemingly distraught by the last file. "They used a slightly less-secure seal with the Ichibi, though it has managed to create a demon container that will have a far closer relationship with its Bijuu."

The council quieted at this, looking over the papers presented. The details presented showed that at least the two in Iwa were not being treated properly. The reports told of the ninja being faced with death threats constantly, and being given dangerous suicide missions. Dangerous suicide missions they were handily completing. "With these accounts, we know of the location of the one, two, four, five, eight, and nine tailed beasts. We can assume then that Kirigakure has the three tail, and possibly also the six tail." Jiraiya paused as he looked the council squarely in the eyes. "The last known jinchuuriki then is the seven tail, which we know to be contained by our ally Takigakure. I don't need to inform you all how dangerous it is that I could easily get information about the different Bijuu, especially if someone like Madara is hunting them." Jiraiya made a very careful attempt to stare down the entire council, before moving forward and pocketing the reports. He made a motion to make for the door, before a cry came out from Danzou.

"Jiraiya, if there is indeed this much information available, what are you suggesting we do about Naruto?" Jiraiya paused at this. He knew the response he wished to give, but also knew that Minato would not like it if he spoke his mind. Grimacing, the old sage turned to face the council.

"My recommendation would be to train Naruto as powerfully as possible. If the prophecy I was given comes to pass, he will need all the power he can get. At the same time, he is going to need to be able to communicate and interact positively with his village." The towering man sighed, seeming as if a mountain had settled on his shoulder. "He needs to become a living weapon and symbol for our village."

A pin could have dropped in the pervading silence, the entire council wrapped in thought. Danzou could be seen smirking behind his desk, his smile reminiscent of a snake eying cornered prey.

"I couldn't agree more with that assessment, Jiraiya-sama." Minato looked over towards the door, causing Jiraiya's eyebrows to shoot up in surprise. The older man was not alone in this, as many of the council's stoic features registered notable shock. 'I think I might be hanging around Kushina too much, that was kind of fun…' Minato turned to look at the rest of the council. "That is in fact the reason I made the proclamations that I did. If the village is to have a symbol, it is best he be announced at a time when he will generate the most response from the populace." Minato smirked as he saw the gears turning behind Danzou's mind, the smile on his face growing as the warhawk's withered. "As for the chakra crystal, that will be kept in the possession of each of the following Kage's, and will be kept as an S-Class Secret from now on. It will be our trump card in the face of invasion, allowing a Kage to access a terribly powerful amount of chakra within a moment's notice." Minato pulled a necklace from within his shirt; on it hung a single gem, completely blood red in color, with seals placed on every side of it and on the chain upon which it was hanging. It pulsed with a dark red hue, the color of recently dried blood painting the room. The feeling of murderous intent hung ominously in the air.

Minato lowered the gem down back into his cloaks. The feeling quickly passed as the dread totem passed from sight. "With that being said I need to ask that several guards from each clan be selected to watch over my family while I am serving as the Hokage. I will be expecting the guards to report to my house in three days to begin watching the house." A cough was heard from a corner of the room that had not spoken up yet.

A woman with spiky brown hair, slitted eyes, and red fang-like marking on her cheeks drew the attention of the council. "Lord Hokage, I am not sure if we have been formerly introduced. My name is Tsume Inuzuka, and I am the wife of Toboe Inuzuka. I am representing him on the council today. In light of the foxes attack, I think we might need more time to be with our families." The woman looked fiercely down at the Hokage, her gaze unwavering.

"I understand your desire to be with your family Tsume. However, when the Kyuubi was extracted from Kushina, it left her chakra coils permanently damaged. She will thus not be up to active duty ability for approximately four years, at the least. Even then, she will never be stronger than a chuunin at this rate." The words unsettled the fierce woman, causing her to look down at her papers. Kushina had been known as a powerful kunoichi, fearsome in her own right. A sigh escaped her, and she nodded her head in consignment. Similar motions were mimicked around the table, ending with the pushing back of several council chairs. "I will expect your choices at the estates in three days. I am sorry for placing this burden on the entire village." The clan heads all shook their heads again, this time with a rueful smile. Danzou surprised them all to be the one to speak up with a light tone in his voice.

"While I may not agree with some of your policies, Yondaime, it is no secret that you have the support of this village. It will be interesting to see what your reign will bring to Konoha." The others nodded at this, before turning and leaving from the room.

Minato sighed, and turned to look at Jiraiya. "I'm surprised you sent a clone to a meeting with the council. Is being with your godson that important to you, sensei?" The doppelganger smirked at this, before shaking his head.

"You've still got a lot to learn, Minato, about what it means to have a family. Yes, Naruto is that important right now. So hurry up and get home, so you can see your son." A puff of smoke later left the blonde alone in an empty council room. He smirked as he left, realizing how despite all the years since he completed his training, Jiraiya still seemed to be so much wiser. 'I hope Naruto can grow up like that, I want him to be as perceptive as my teacher'. Minato smiled ruefully, pulling out his trustworthy kunai.

As the Hokage teleported to his office, he reached over and picked up the documents on the table. The details of destruction had already been assembled, but reconstruction plans for Konoha were not presented to him yet, though he knew a few changes he would make to the overall layout of the village. A message however had been delivered while he was with the council. It bore the marks of an official diplomatic letter from Sunagakure. Sighing, Minato reached out and opened the scroll.

Glancing quickly over the document, Minato brought a hand to his forehead and sighed. 'So, the Kazekage wants to establish a political marriage with Konoha. Guess that day was bound to happen sooner or later. Oh well, there are years yet to think on this, the treaty renewal isn't due for six more years or so.' Minato rolled up the scroll, tucking it into his coat. There was time yet to think on that, and the office seemed to be too much of a painful reminder at the moment. Pulling his trusty kunai out once more, Minato began to focus his chakra on the seal encrusted item.

"Time to go see my favorite people" In a flash of yellow, the Fourth Hokage left his office. A single wooden pipe rested on the desk, a memento to the predecessor's legacy.

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Well, there it is, chapter two. The next chapter will wrap up the events concerning the time immediately after the demon fox attack. After that, there will be a bit of a time skip, namely seven or eight years. The time jump will occur right around the kidnapping at the Hyuuga estate, and will probably be split into a bit of a story arc. I'm taking some aggressive liberties with the timeline for the next couple of events, though it will skip around such that the Uchiha massacre, the Hyuuga incident, and a couple other noteworthy moments all happen within the same year. Hopefully this will get us the last little distance we need before I jump again to the time after the academy years. Here's to good holiday weather for everyone! Catch you next time! As always, read and review!


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own Naruto or any affiliated characters in any way, shape, or form. Hope you enjoy!

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**_First Arc: Ripples in Time_**

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Jiraiya winced as he sat at the dinner table, his eye's going wide as he realized what his clone had said. 'Guess I gave that one a bit too much freedom, huh?' Shaking his head, the man looked toward the kitchen, where he could see a bumbling Kakashi try to manage to broil saury in a pan, boil water for miso soup, and steam rice simultaneously. The smell was fairly bitter, but then again that was part of the charm he supposed. Charm fit perfectly for Minato's house, Jiraiya thought.

He was sitting at a small circular dining room table, large enough to fit three or four. There was a simple entryway with a place for shoes and a kitchen and pantry to the right of where one walked in the door. The walls were painted in a simple peach tone, and the ceiling was off-white with patterns dancing across the surface. The nursery was on the other side of the kitchen, and had a small bedroom and bath set-up for the family. A single spiral staircase ran up and down on the other side of the nursery, flanked by several potted plants. A simple gathering room was past the plants and separated the two guests room, both with modest bathrooms. Still, the whole style gave the idea of a simple family home. Catching the bitter smell of Kakashi's food, Jiraiya couldn't help his mouth water a bit.

'Still, wish there was something sweet the guy could make. We've had enough of bitter medicine the last few days.' Jiraiya rose from his seat, making his way toward the kitchen. As he did, he paused to look in on the nursery. Within, Kushina and Naruto slept soundly. The red haired woman's mane was splayed all around the futon she lay on, her young child cradled in her arms. The two made quite the pair, long red hair and short blonde. The old man reached out and closed the door on the pair, his face formed into a strong smile. It had been a few years since he had held such a thing on his face. "Hey, move over scarecrow, I'm gonna help you with making that dinner alright. Now, Kushina doesn't like too many bitter things, and Minato likes anything that Kushina makes. So, we're gonna change that miso ramen into some shio ramen, alright?" The young ninja nodded as he stepped aside, allowing the more experienced chef some room.

As the two worked over the stove for a little bit, there came the sound of the door opening and closing. Minato walked in, looking over the proceedings before heading quickly to the nursery. Minato smiled as he looked in on his wife and son, closing the door behind him as he walked to the futon. Laying himself down by his wife's side, while being careful not to disturb either of them, the powerful leader was allowed a moment of rest as he listened to the pair's steady breathing.

'Such a serene pair, and yet they both once housed the most powerful demon in the world'

His musings were cut short however as Naruto blinked open his eyes and began to cry loudly. Kushina awoke with a quick start, her training serving her well.

"Come here, 'ruto, I got'cha." The red haired beauty pulled the babe to her chest, cradling and rocking him in her arms. Naruto quickly quieted down, settling back into calm steady breathing. "You woke him up, so you get to bring me some of that food that Kakashi is making." Kushina's voice was barely a whisper, but one could not mistake the hungry look in her eyes. Minato looked about to protest, but Naruto stirred slightly in her arms. The two exchanged a silent look, where Kushina smiled lightly at her husband's hang dog look. 'Kids not even that old and he already sides with his mom, huh?' With a chagrined look on his face, the man left the room as silently as he entered.

As he approached the kitchen, he was met with smirking eyes from his lifelong friends. Their fingers pointed up at Minato's head, bringing a frown to his face. Reaching up, Minato felt his hair spiking out in various directions. 'Guess I let Naruto get to me more than I anticipated.' Patting down his hair, Minato tried to regain what little dignity he had left.

"Kushina asked me to bring in some of the food you're making Kakashi. Got anything that's not too bitter? I remember your favorites from our journeying days…" Kakashi, still chuckling lightly, held out a bowl of shio ramen, with a side of fresh made dango. The combination smelled slightly sweet, and was piping hot.

"Got some sides of anko and mitarashi dango to go with the shio ramen."* Jiraiya smiled as he ladled his own bowl of the soup out before settling down at the dining room table.

"Go give that to your wife, then come back after she eats and gets Naruto to bed. We have some things to discuss." Kakashi nodded at this, bringing his own food to the table.

With a slight nod, Minato returned to his wife's side. Kushina turned as he entered, her eyes widening as she took in the sight of the dango and ramen bowls. The drool that started down her chin was hardly seemly for the wife of a Kage, earning her a grin from her husband.

"!" The quiet exclamation was made, even as the mentioned dish was quickly whisked out of Minato's hand. The speed had been as fast as he normally was in battle, and for a second he worried about her pushing herself. Still, the rate at which she was consuming her food was a good sign. At least, he hoped it was.

Catching his stare after a moment, she turned back to look him square in the eye. "You and the others are going to discuss things about Naruto's future, aren't you?" Minato gave a slight nod, pulling out a scroll from his pocket.

"This was left on my desk after the meeting with the council. It seems that Suna wants an eventual political marriage. They were informed about the birth of Naruto today by messenger summons. It seems that as Naruto is both male and the son of the current Hokage, they would desire his name in a political marriage with the Kazekage's daughter, Temari." Kushina withdrew a bit at her husband's words. She quickly scanned the scroll, and looked up into Minato's eyes.

"There is something here about the renewal date being quite a few years from now. Is there any reason we should not just wait until then to make a decision?" Her voice was pitched low, the question carrying some hidden import.

"No, there is no reason why we shouldn't wait. I actually just wanted to run it by you to see what you thought on the matter." Minato moved to place his arms around his wife's shoulders, surprised when she sighed and leaned her head back against his chest. He smiled and brought his arms around her waist, holding her gently in the dark room.

"I knew marrying you would turn out to be a lot of adventures, but I never realized they would all come at once, you know?" Kushina sighed as she leaned further into the embrace.

"When I first came to Konoha, I knew it was going to be for a political marriage to the next Hokage more than likely. Still, I resented the idea originally. That's why I wished to be the first female Hokage, so I could marry whoever I wanted. I also wanted Naruto to have as normal a life as possible, but it seems that my wishes won't be granted there either." Through a mane of red hair, a pair of violet orbs watched blue moons. "Still, I got one wish, and that was to have a family with you. I guess I can live with that."

Minato flushed a bit at this, leaning down to kiss his wife on the forehead. She closed her eyes at this, while grasping his hands that were around her waist.

"If you're feeling up to it, you can join us. I mostly want to go over what's in that scroll, and explain the new missions I have for both Jiraiya and Kakashi." Kushina nodded, letting her husband lead her out into the dining room area.

"Ah, so the two lovers emerge. I take it Naruto is sleeping soundly now that Minato isn't making so much noise?" The blonde shot his sensei a sour look, pulling out a chair and settling down across from the other two males.

"I don't think he was making too much noise. I think it might have been the crystal that was causing the problems." Minato winced at his wife's statement, pulling the crystal out from beneath his coat. Once again, the red pall was cast over the entire room. Focusing some extra chakra into the seals, Minato managed to dull the glow completely, though a feeling of slight unease remained around the object.

"It's not normal for an object to hold in that much power. Something is going to have to be done to either restrain or limit the strength of that object. It would actually be best if there were a way to make use of such power." Jiraiya's eyes bored into Minato's at this point, hoping for a solution of some sort.

"Well it is true that no simple object has ever held this kind of power, the same cannot be said for armor. There have been stories of powerful chakra-based armor from some of the other villages, haven't there?" Minato pulled out some sketches he had made from the night before. It showed a black armor body suit, with red lines tracing down both the front and back sides of the arms and legs. In the center was what appeared to be a simple storage chamber, where all the red lines met.

Jiraiya looked surprised by this, but nodded his agreement. A moment later a scowl took the place of this look. "The only villages that have the kind of technology or experience for that sort of thing though are Takumi and Fuyu. We have friendly agreements with neither at the moment." Looking over the plans, Jiraiya recognized the four lines as also holding a four trigram seal, similar to the one placed onto Naruto.

"I know. However, we have begun receiving summons from Takumi about needing possible aid. The third war hit them fairly hard, their land being a convenient battle ground for some of the skirmishes between the Sand and Stone Villages." Minato paused to take a drink of tea that Kakashi had poured for him. "I'm thinking about bringing back the village extension protocol."

Kakashi blinked at this, though both Kushina and Jiraiya grimaced. "What am I missing here…this protocol sounds like something that was put to rest a while ago." Jiraiya was the one to take a drink now, one far longer than strictly necessary.

"The village extension protocol is just that. It allows a larger village, such as Konoha, to send an emissary to a smaller village, such as Takumi. In return for us taking some of their more skilled shinobi prisoner, we offer the protection and power of Konoha in return. The only problem is, we can end up having to help them while fighting a war elsewhere. It's a good way to leave a village stretched thin." Jiraiya stared for a long while at the crystal laid bare on the table. As he did, there was a slight increase in the general feeling of unease, and the palest of red lights crept back into the room.

"That settles it though; Minato, I think you will be forced to go through with the protocol. I just focused some of my will on that crystal, and it responded." Minato nodded, taking the crystal up again and lowering it out of sight. "If that thing is even slightly self-aware, it needs an outlet that will allow it some freedom of movement. Simply locking away that level of power is out of the question. We try it, it'll be like holding an exploding tag in a closed fist."

"If we are going to go through with the assimilation of a village, even one as small as Takumi, we are going to need powerful delegates to send." It was the first time Kushina had spoken during the meeting, and it caught the males off-guard. "Jiraiya, Kakashi, both of you, and probably one or two others will be needed for such a mission." The two nodded, though they did not look pleased about leaving the village so soon.

"This will also go well with the other training I have in mind for you. Kakashi, I want you to continue your study of seal work with Jiraiya while on this mission. You're also to read up some on wind based affinities and jutsu. If you can master that last element, you'll have a basis in all of them, which will be of great aid for some plans I have for your future." Jiraiya had his eyebrows twitch once at this.

"Whose to say I'm even going to go along with this plan of yours? If you don't remember, my less-than-trustworthy teammate just left the village under questionable pretenses…" Minato simply looked Jiraiya in the eye, unblinkingly. The Toad Sage tried to keep up his threatening demeanor, but ended up caving under the look of his favorite student.

"Fine. What plans do you have for the scarecrow, Minato?" A quick smile flashed across the Hokage's face as he looked at his sensei.

"We have to assume that Orochimaru is never going to return to us at this point. On top of that, we still don't know when or if Tsunade will return. As such, we are going to have to find a suitable replacement eventually. I know Kakashi is only sixteen right now, but with a little training in seals, wind jutsu, and physical training with you, I think he could be Kage material eventually." Kakashi was clearly surprised by this declaration, but Jiraiya did not look convinced.

"Do you think the clans will accept me? I am the son of the White Fang, and I do possess the eye of a dead Uchiha…" Kakashi's hand went to the headband covering his teammates memento.

"With the way you've used that gift so far, and if you continue at your current rate, I have no doubt they'll accept you. You've already copied over what, five hundred jutsu with that Sharingan?" Shaking his head, Minato fixed Kakashi with a stern look. "You will rise far above any doubts the council could level at you by the time you finish training under Jiraiya." Kakashi paled a little at this, though Jiraiya snickered behind his back.

"Alright, I'll train the punk. However, I am going to ask you wait on the assimilation of Takumi a little longer. I think it would be more prudent to make a weapon out of the crystal's chakra rather than armor, and as such, I think we should wait until we discover Naruto's elemental manipulation." Minato glanced at the Toad Sage, a questioning look on his face.

"With the way that the council, and the rest of Konoha, will end up viewing Naruto, it will be better if he has a weapon he is attuned with which to defend him, as well as a symbol to present a powerful image to his enemies. Armor is hard to size to more than one person Minato; what fits you may not fit the next Kage, and the techniques for creating and adjusting such armor can eventually die out." Nodding, Minato pulled the scroll out from his vest pocket.

"I can agree with you on that note I guess. Glad I got your advice; you always were a decent sounding board. Except when it came for how to woo my wife…" Minato grinned as he watched his teacher burst out into droplets of sweat.

Kakashi however seemed quite interested. "You never told me that story sensei. How did Jiraiya-sama suggest you approach Kushina?" Kushina for her part had a light smile on her face, her chair tipped back slightly. The murderous glints in her eye gave the lie to the façade of calm she was attempting.

"That's a story I really don't think we need to tell right now Kakashi…hehehe…" The sweat was pouring off of Jiraiya as he looked between his smirking former student and the two other interested parties. 'I'll get you yet for this Minato'.

"Well, I for one would be happy to let this go for another time, Jiraiya…" The look of surprise on the Sannin's face was ecstatic. "…so long as that other time is when Tsunade is here to hear it as well." The purr that came out of Kushina's lips ensured butter would not melt in her mouth.

Jiraiya paled even more at this statement, his mind whirring on the damning possibilities. 'Still, there's a chance the two will never be in the same room together again, and that chance, however slight, is better than the beating I'd receive now from the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero.'

"Why thank you Kushina-san! So, why don't I explain more about this weapon idea, eh?" The joking tone in Jiraiya's voice was an old call between Minato and Jiraiya. It was a way to concede the other had made a decent verbal hit, and allow for the passage of topics onto more…safe…waters.

Catching the old trick, Minato nodded slightly, urging the older man to continue.

"Right, well, as you know, Konoha was founded by the joining of the Senju and the Uchiha clans. The symbol of the Senju clan is a dual sided pike. The symbol for the Uchiha clan is a battle fan. I suggest combining the two into one symbol. A dual sided bladed pike fan would serve the image of both the Uchiha and the Senju interests."

Minato's expression darkened continuously throughout Jiraiya's explanation. He still clearly remembered the actions and words of Fugaku Uchiha during the emergency meeting the night before.

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_The meeting was being held in the basement of the hospital. There were still numerous casualties being brought into the operating rooms, and much of the village lay in shambles. Though the meeting was necessary, it was to the chagrin of some that it took place in one of the supply closets. At the moment, only a few of the clan heads were present, and the Hokage was missing._

"_Even if you sealed the demon inside that child, if we kill the nine tailed fox we can be rid of it for good!" Fugaku himself pulled a kunai from his belt at this, clearly determined to make some action himself. The council was still at this, but no one moved quickly to halt the clan head. _

"_No. Fugaku-san, if we kill the fox it will merely reincarnate elsewhere in several years time. There is no telling which nation will get a hold of it next. Or do you want Iwa to take control of the fox?" Danzou reprimanded the Uchiha, leveling a glare at the younger shinobi. Danzou watched as the kunai was slowly lowered before continuing. "What we will need to do is train the fox's container as a weapon of this village." Danzou looked as if he would continue, but the sudden spike of killing intent halted the elder. It seemed that the Hokage had walked into the meeting at some recent point, and he was not pleased._

"_Both of you will shut up right now. Or I will kill you both." The eyes of the Yondaime seemed to hint at some ancient demon, the blue globes aching with a desire to fulfill that promise prematurely. The Hokage's voice was steady and even, a cold rage filling his words. _

"_This council will meet when the Hokage calls it to meet. Until then, you are relieved." The words brooked no argument, and the room full of experienced killers quailed in fear of their leader's wrath. None saw that after they left, Minato collapsed into a heap, crying for his son._

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Minato's eyes were set once again in that dreadful visage. "The Uchiha will have no part in the weapon for this village. Also, I would like if this weapon was useful to me immediately, as I am the current Hokage."

Jiraiya had rarely seen his pupil this determined, and for the first time that night, was afraid of his student. "What did you have in mind then, for a weapon choice?" Meanwhile, Jiraiya's mind was a blur. 'What did the Uchiha do to piss of Minato? He liked Obito, and I thought he was even drinking friends with Fugaku…'

"The only weapon that has been known to be able to channel all the chakra types at one point or another is a sword. Have Takumi commission a sword for Konoha, and have it made of chakra adaptive materials." Kushina smiled a little at the thought of her husband wielding sword, then remembered how clumsy he was back in his academy days. 'Still, he's come a long way since then.'

Kakashi shifted in his seat, lowering his mask for a brief moment to take a drink of his tea. "I think that I have a source of materials for such a weapon. The village can use The White Fang as the base materials. I have not had it repaired since the mission with Rin and Obito." Kakashi's face was tight as he mentioned his fallen comrades, his eyes exactingly focused on the swirl patterns in the dining table.

"That should do just fine, thank you Kakashi." Minato reached out and placed his hand on Kakashi's shoulder, whose gaze lifted only long enough to manage a weak smile of acknowledgement.

Turning towards Jiraiya, Minato handed the scroll he had set on the table to the now tired looking man. "This is something I'd like you to look into while you are training. See what you can learn about the family, and determine if I can trust my son with this group." Jiraiya nodded, quickly glancing over the scroll before placing it within his red vest.

"Well, it's getting kind of late Kakashi. I think I'm gonna go hit the guest bed. Minato, you should get those scrolls for the kid before you hit the hay. I'm gonna be working him on the way to Takumi." Minato nodded, pushing back from his chair. "We'll head there, and render what aid we can. We'll also see if we can set up the expansion protocol to occur around the time of the treaty renewal with Suna. If we can manage it, there might be a way to split the protection of the area between the two villages." Shrugging, the sage swung onto his feet, his geta sandals sounding on the wood floor. "Who knows, if this goes just right we could even get a festival out of the whole thing…" Shaking his head, he proceeded towards the rooms.

"Kakashi, the guest bedrooms are on the opposite sides of the gathering room. You and Jiraiya can pick either one you want, they both come with the exact same set-up. I'll leave the scrolls on your bed in a bit."

Minato turned and helped his wife from her chair. Though she was loath to admit it, her lack of conversation during the meeting showed just how tired she was. 'Normally she's such a motor-mouth it's hard to get her to be quiet, even when we're on dangerous stealth missions.'

Kushina seemed to catch this, as the two shared a silent smile. Jiraiya and Kakashi both smirked before heading back to their respective quarters. After dropping off the necessary materials, Minato crept back into the nursery where his small family was sleeping. Kushina and Naruto both lay curled up on the futon, their heads turned towards one another.

'Guess he's just as sound a sleeper as his mother.' Smiling, Namikaze Minato, one of the world's most powerful ninja, curled up next to his family. True, he slept with a Hiraishin kunai placed under the edge of the futon, but it was as relaxed an image as one could expect. The only thing that really showed how peaceful the trio was though, was the fact that each one of them had a slight smile on their face. Resting peacefully between both his father and mother, Naruto slept, unknowing of the future path that had already been laid before him.

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There's chapter number 3! All the backstory development is now complete for this part of the story. Yes, yes, I know, there is still another two arcs before the actual story arcs begin, but hey, this is going to be worth it right? I hope I'm right here…T_T. For those of you who were wondering, yes, Mitarashi, and Anko are both types of Dango. Kind of makes her addiction to the things a little strange when you think of her eating her namesake all the time, but hey, it seems to be a trend in the ninja world. Anyways, the next chapter will feature a timeskip of several years, arriving right on time for the seventh year of Namikaze Naruto and his budding adventures. Until next time faithful viewers, read and review!


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own Naruto or any affiliated characters in any way, shape, or form. Hope you enjoy!

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**_Second Arc: Early Days_**

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The people in the street were moving at a nice fluid pace, eager to get out of the baking sun. Konohagakure was known for having hot summer days and warm evenings, and today looked to be no different. The village was looking far better than it had since the attack of the Kyuubi, the final touches of reconstruction having been finished just recently. It had taken nearly seven years for the outlook of the village to return, though the mental scars still remained. Many still resented the Hokages, both past and present, for housing the demon within the village. However, following the revelation that many villages kept such weapons, and that theirs was the strongest, many took a decided change in personality. When Jiraiya's books began to feature cursed hero's who fought for the cause of justice, the village started to think of Naruto as a living hero.

Kushina smiled, thinking of the change in Jiraiya's literary career. Jiraiya had begun to produce short novellas by request of the Hokage, putting on hold his more popular Icha Icha series. 'Then again, there are some decidedly racy parts in those books as well, so it's no surprise those new novels sold more than his perverted books. There's even some plot now! Sort of…' Kushina blushed, chuckling to herself as she hefted her groceries closer to her chest.

'Still, I'm glad Jiraiya's been helping the way the village views Naruto. If he hadn't, I probably would still be keeping him inside of the compound walls.' Kushina ducked inside of the archway that blocked off the Namikaze estates. Her movements were automatic as she walked down the gravel pathway. The crunch of the loose rocks was loud, feet grinding them into the earth. Yet, Kushina's mind was far away from the ground she traversed.

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_Naruto was bundled tight in her arms. Only a month had passed since the attack on Konoha, and Naruto had just been fully released from observation in the hospital. It had taken a lot of convincing on Minato's part, but there were just so many things that Kushina didn't know about taking care of a child. To make matters worse, he was always busy with the Hokage's duty. The trip to the hospital had seen a few wary nods of acknowledgement and recognition, but many were afraid to meet the look of the Yondaime's wife. However, the return trip was far different._

_The people who before had given wary nods now gave only brief glances, nothing but fear in the looks. There were hardly any who would look Kushina in the eye, and the few who dared gave nothing but contemptuous glances at the bundle she held before raising hate filled eyes to her face. Her own glare silenced them quickly, but the exchange left her feeling terribly drained. By the time she had arrived back home with Naruto, she realized that she felt more tired now than she had immediately after the fox attack. She cried then, holding Naruto close, and rocking him slightly. Naruto stirred, opening his eyes before crying along with his mother. _

_It was later that night that Minato had sent a letter to Jiraiya, asking for his help in building a good image for Naruto. Kushina began to assemble every book she could find in the clan library on homeschooling. That night, Minato and Kushina had stayed up late, watching over their son, and finding comfort in each other's arms. It was several years before Kushina journeyed outside with Naruto once more._

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The door squeaked on its hinges as Kushina stepped into the foyer. Kicking off her shoes, she turned to see her son sitting at the dining table, a book sprawled out in front of him. His head was splayed over the book, his blonde hair going in every direction. A light bit of drool could be seen coming out of the corner of his mouth. Kakashi looked up as she walked in, his own form lying against a futon in the gathering room. Chuckling lightly to herself, Kushina set the paper bags down on the counter before bringing the ramen packages out of the bag.

"I see that the Jonin detail my husband assigned is highly attentive." The barb sailed in from the kitchen, even as the sound of running water blotted out most everything else.

"Huh? I'm sorry, did you say something?" Kakashi removed himself from his book, only to dodge quickly to the side as a carrot went sailing past him. The raw vegetable bounced wildly off the futon he relaxed on, whapping him in the side of the head. "You know, I'm very glad that they took you off active missions for a while. If they hadn't, that would have hit me right in the face." Pushing himself off the futon, Kakashi tucked his book away and moved to rouse Naruto.

"Next time I'll throw the pot full of boiling water. I'm sure that'll hit at least some part of you then." Kushina smirked as she watched the younger shinobi rouse her son. Naruto blinked his eyes open, looked first at Kakashi then back at the page he was on before letting out a low grumble.

"Gosh darn it, every time I try to cover a lot of material in a day I get bogged down. There's just way too much stuff to cover!" Naruto turned to his mom with a pleading look in his eyes.

"Mom, can I please take a break today. You've really been giving me a lot of reading to do lately, you know?" The puppy dog look was almost the same as the one Minato tried to use on her when he wanted to get his way. It was for that very reason that it had no effect.

"Sorry kid, you have to get through that stuff eventually. Besides, wouldn't you rather learn it at your own pace then have to deal with academy instructors?" Kushina smiled, turning to the stove to bring the water to a boil. She remembered her reaction to the instructors in the academy and the fights she got into as a kid. Her son was going to stay out of that much trouble at least. "Besides, I've got your favorite food on the boil at the moment…"

Wide cerulean eyes turned to stare at her, taking in the ramen and all the other vegetables and meat laid out. The drool returned to his lips as he watched her prepare the meal. "Alright! If there's going to be your special ramen, I guess I can finish the last few pages in this chapter. Besides, I got to be smart as I can be to take over dad's job someday, dattebayo." Naruto was grinning ear to ear now, his head turned back towards his book. Kakashi and Kushsina both smiled at the scene.

The scarecrow man walked into the kitchen, pulling his own instant miso ramen out of the shopping bag. "You know, I think you and Naruto are a bad influence on Minato and me. I used to eat healthy foods every day, but lately I can't get enough of this instant stuff." Kakashi shook his head as he pulled back the top, placing the contents in the microwave.

"If this keeps up, I don't know how long it will be until Naruto outruns me on the training course." Naruto sneezed lightly, turning to glare at Kakashi for mentioning his name before returning to his book.

"Hm, well if that's the case Minato may just have to start giving you gennin teams to train. Nothing like training a few young gennin to keep you young, you know?" A smile came over her face, before turning to a happy questioning look. "I heard you completed your training with Jiraiya recently, how'd it go?" The water had come to a full boil and Kushina took out some noodles from a glass jar, adding them to the pot. She threw in some of her broth flavoring and the smell of cooking ramen was soon heard throughout the entire house.

"Well, I wasn't able to complete the sage training with the Dog Summons. The Sharingan I obtained from Obito ended up being a bit of a double-edged sword. It messes with my DNA set-up, so I can't actually complete the training." Chagrin was etched onto Kakashi's face as he pulled his ramen out of the beeping microwave. "Still, I did manage to learn some new tricks with Obito's gift." Kakashi smiled at this, pulling out a pair of chopsticks from the drawer.

"Oh, can you hand me a longer wooden spoon? I grabbed the short one by accident." Kushina smelled the contents of the pot, and started adding various other items, vegetables and cuts of cooked meat. Kakashi passed her a wooden spoon, and she began to stir and taste the contents at random. "You seem to be much more comfortable with talking about your teammates. Did anything special happen to give you such closure?" Kakashi just shrugged, and mumbled something about Jiraiya talking sense into him. Kushina smirked at this, and nodded. She did remember that the sage could be serious once in a while.

The smell from the kitchen was permeating throughout the whole house at this point, and Naruto was finding it increasingly hard to focus on his readings. Fidgeting in his seat, he tried very hard to finish his current chapter. There were only three pages left, but each page was a trial with the smell of delicious ramen. 'Gah! Mom, why do you have to be such a good cook!' Naruto's eyes drew together in concentration, and he placed his hand on the page, forcing himself to advance. Each word was a struggle, but before long he finished the last page.

"Hah! Alright, that chapter's done, now give me some ramen!" Naruto bounded into the kitchen, grabbing his own bowl and chopsticks before turning to his mom.

She rapped him slightly on the knuckles, but chuckled and got a ladle out of the drawer next to her. "You really will have to work on your manners too if you plan on becoming Hokage." She looked over her son to smile at Kakashi. "I guess he takes more after me than his father though, so I'm not that surprised." Naruto scowled and pulled his bowl back slightly.

"It's not like dad is ever home. He's always busy with work and protecting the village. It's like he doesn't even care about us, mom." Naruto's scowl was set rather hard, his emotions banishing even the hope of special ramen.

"I know your dad isn't around that much, but he does care very deeply about you both. That's why he works so hard to protect the village." Kakashi reached down and ruffled Naruto's hair, and the boy turned and shot him a petulant glare. "How about this, after lunch, your mom and I will take you to the park, okay?" Naruto's eyes shot wide at this, and he started to shout about going out today and begged his mom to let him eat and get going.

Kushina smiled wanly to herself as she watched her son scarf down the ramen. 'I'm glad you're back Kakashi. I don't know if Minato and I could manage without you.'

xXxXxXx

Naruto ran ahead of his guardians for the afternoon, his smile and laughter warming the two adults' hearts. "Come on you two, how am I ever gonna learn how to run fast if you walk so slow?" Both of them shook their heads as Naruto ran up to them and started pulling on Kakashi's hand. "C'mon, you're supposed to be some super awesome ninja aren't you? You gotta be able to move faster than that!" Kakashi shook his head but began to keep pace with Naruto.

Kushina smiled as the two rounded the corner for the park. It had only been in the last year or so that she'd started to allow Naruto to go out into public. For the most part he interacted with kids his age when the clan heads brought their sons and daughters over for meetings with Minato at his home. The interactions were sparse, never really allowing Naruto to grow close to any of them. 'Still, he doesn't seem to mind as long as Minato and I still have time to spend with him.' Her musings found her quickly rounding the corner, looking out at the playground and park that Minato had set aside during the reconstruction of the village.

A woman with waist length black hair approached her side. "It's been a while Kushina. How are Naruto and Minato doing these days?" The woman's voice was friendly, her demeanor reflecting that of a fellow mother. She had pale white skin, black eyes, and stood about the same height as the red-head.

"They both are doing fairly well, Mikoto-san. Fugaku-san mentioned that Sasuke's seventh birthday is approaching. Am I to understand that was a veiled invitation?" Kushina smiled knowingly at her long time friend. It had taken the meeting of Sasuke and Naruto when they were both infants to convince Fugaku that the blonde child was not a demon incarnate. Sasuke's first action upon meeting Naruto was to hold out his favorite toy, causing Naruto to take it and offer one of his own. The innocent gesture had gone a long way to healing the rift created on the night of the attack.

"Yeah, you can definitely take that as a veiled invitation. Though, I think our sons are going to manage an official one in a minute." Mikoto pointed out towards the playground, where she could see Sasuke hold out a greeting card. Naruto opened it quickly, and a smile quickly lit his face. Though neither of the kunoichi could hear the words being said, it was pretty obvious what was happening.

"Those two are definitely going to end up being friends for life, I think." Kushina smiled, and then pulled a letter out of her pocket. "This is for Itachi-san, I think it is his promotion to ANBU, as well as an invitation to train with Minato personally." Mikoto's eyes went wide as she bowed and humbly accepted the scroll. "Now, why don't you tell me what we can give to one of the future leaders of the Uchiha clan for his seventh birthday…"

Meanwhile, Naruto was finally calming down from being accepted to Sasuke's party.

"Oh man, this is going to be so awesome! Who all is going to be there? You invited the others, right?" Naruto was looking around the playground, wondering who all his friend had invited.

"Yeah, I'm going to get all the other kids our age eventually. So far though, I've only invited Kiba, Choji, Shikamaru, and Ino." Sasuke watched his friend settle a bit at this statement, his face settling into his known thinking pose.

"Why'd you have to go and invite Ino, she's such a pain, and an obnoxious blonde!" Naruto had his arms crossed over his chest, with his eyes squinted shut tight in concentration.

"You can be a pain and an obnoxious blonde too, you know?" Sasuke smirked as the frown on his friends face deepened. "I still don't see why you two can't get along. It's not just because she likes my black hair better, huh?" Sasuke's smirk grew as he watched his friends frown deepened.

"You just came into your good looks before me. My dad had more girls chasing him than your dad when he was older!" Naruto pointed at Sasuke, causing the raven's eyebrows to rise in response.

"That was mostly because my dad had already settled down with my mom by then." Sasuke's counter hit right home on Naruto, and he chuckled as he watched the younger boy gasp before mumbling under his breath. Sasuke was not entirely sure, but he could have sword he heard something about obnoxious blondes and pretty bos. Shaking his head, the older boy turned and pointed at a hill overlooking a nearby stream.

"Look, Ino's over there with Sakura. We should go say hi so I can give Sakura her invitation too." Sasuke was hoping the interaction would help the two accept that they would be at his party together. 'Honestly, Ino and Naruto are easily the loudest people I know, they're perfect together.'

"Huh, who's Sakura?" Naruto turned and looked toward the hillside. He saw Ino, and a little girl their age with bright pink hair. 'Wow, her hair is really pretty. Bet she likes Sasuke's better too…' Naruto couldn't bring himself to grimace at this thought though, the girl was just so pretty.

"You haven't met Sakura before? She spends all her time hanging out with Ino these days…"

"You know my mom doesn't let me out of the house often. She's got me cooped up with those darn books all day long. I can't wait until next year spring when we can both enter the academy, it'll be great to slack off for a few years." Sasuke shook his head at his friend. After Shikamaru and Choji, Naruto was the laziest person he knew.

"Come on, I have to give this card to her now. I don't know why my mom is making me hand these out, but I'm gonna make sure all my friends get one." Sasuke dashed off towards the two girls, leaving a startled Naruto to catch up.

Sakura looked up at her friend Ino, her tears long dried from her face. Bullies had been teasing Sakura again, her forehead being the main topic of insult. Ino had chased them off when her dad dropped her off at the park, and had since been consoling her friend. She even gave her a pretty ribbon to tie her hair up with to help distract attention from her forehead. Ino's attention though seemed to be focused on something over her shoulder.

Sasuke ran up to her, a grin forming on his face. "Hey Ino! Look out! Naruto's it and he's gonna try and tag you!" Naruto was racing behind him, and Sasuke grinned as he heard his friend gasp behind him. In an instant, Naruto was racing forward much faster and Sasuke smirked as he dashed quickly to the left. Ino blinked once before leaping to her feet and running to the right.

Sakura blinked at the girl's sudden departure, but quickly noticed the charging blonde boy. Sasuke had already peeled off to the left and Ino had sprinted right, leaving Sakura right in Naruto's path. 'Well, this is one way to get the pink haired girl to notice me.' With a laughing cry, Naruto jumped forward and tagged Sakura just as she started to stand up. The push was a little harder than he expected though, and the girl wobbled slightly before starting to tumble down the hill. She reached out and tagged him lightly, before starting to run down the hill.

"Hey, no fair! I tagged you first!" Naruto gasped, and started sprinting to catch up with her. Sakura laughed while sprinting down the hill, only seeming to gain speed as she moved. Naruto raced as fast as he could, and caught up to her just as she tripped near the river bank. Naruto blinked in surprise at this, then noticed her come up and start struggling. From the look on her face, she definitely did not know how to swim. The river was quickly starting to pull her downstream, and in the far distance Naruto saw the curling waves of rapids and white caps. Not even pausing to think, Naruto jumped as hard as he could and splashed into the water next to her. He managed to pull close to her, but she struggled and started to drag him under. He kept trying to pull her closer, to get her to calm down, but her weight was too much for the young boy. He turned to shout at her, but the water rushed into his mouth, gagging him. He lost his focus, and in a flash he felt the water rush over his head. Naruto clawed for the surface, but the two were thrashing more than swimming, and soon both of their lungs began to burn. Naruto's vision began to go fuzzy just as his feet touched the bottom of the river.

Naruto felt Sakura's weight leave his grasp and he looked to see her kick off for the surface. Following her lead, the two emerged in about the same spot in the river. Straight ahead he saw the looming rapids, the water rushing over the rocks. Looking to his left, he noticed a spluttering and struggling Sakura. "Hold on, I got you!" he said as he started to swim towards her. The current was much faster than it looked from outside the river, and before long the two were swept far downstream. There was a rushing sound, and the ripples in the stream began to splash and surround the two children. Before they were swept too far in, Sakura grabbed onto a large rock in the river and reached her hand out, grabbing onto it just in time to watch as Naruto slipping past her. He reached out and grabbed her hand. She struggled to hold on, gritting her teeth as he began pulling himself onto the rock with her. Sakura panted, and looked to be close to tears, but Naruto just reached out and placed his hand over hers. "Okay, I guess you got me. My name is Naruto by the way!" The water dripped from from his hair down onto his face, which was covered by the biggest grin the girl had ever seen. "Don't worry, my mom will notice I'm missing soon and come and get us. We just have to hold on until then, dattebayo!" He laughed slightly, and his smile was so infectious that she found herself chuckling lightly despite the situation.

Sakura wasn't sure if the boy across from her was kidding or not, but she just shook her head and smiled a little. "My name is Sakura, and I guess everything that Ino told me about you was true." Naruto scrunched up his face in puzzlement at this, and Sakura giggled at the look. The boy's hair, wet and plastered to his face, made the squinting face he made all the funnier. 'Like an angry wet cat…he is kind of cute, even if he is a total clutz apparently'.

"What has Ino been telling you, huh? You really shouldn't listen to everything she says about me, she exaggerates everything. Especially when she gets the chance to make fun of me!" Sakura giggled more at Naruto's outburst, but before she could respond there was a shout from the shore.

A rope landed between the two of them and Sakura quickly snagged the lifeline. Kushina and Mikoto stood on the shoreline, with Ino and Sasuke standing nearby. "Have Naruto grab onto the rope and we'll pull you both to shore!" Mikoto's voice carried out over the stream, and Sasuke and Ino both looked on nervously. Naruto reached out and grasped the bit of the rope Sakura offered him, and the two were quickly hauled out of the water.

"Naruto, what were you thinking jumping into the river after Sakura?" Kushina reprimanded her son, checking him over for cuts at the same time. Mikoto was casting a critical eye over Sakura, her hands glowing a funny green color.

"I'm fine mom. Besides, it was my fault Sakura even fell into the river, so I had to save her!"

Sakura pulled away from Mikoto at this and came up next to Naruto.

"Namikaze-sama, it wasn't all Naruto's fault. I wasn't paying attention when I was running down the hill and I just tripped near the river, but it really wasn't his fault, he didn't mean it." The girl was almost beside herself, tears welling up in her pretty seafoam eyes. She noticed her son staring at the girl, obviously surprised she'd defend him to his mother. Many were afraid to talk back to either Minato or Kushina merely because of their standing in the village.

Kushina sighed, looking between the two begging faces. Casting a quick glance at Mikoto, who nodded in response, Kushina did her level best to fix the two with a stern glare. Inwardly though, she smirked at the sight. 'Better watch out Naruto, or you may end up having yourself a little girlfriend.' "Alright, I guess I can understand what the two of you are saying. Still, we're all lucky no one got hurt this time." Looking up from the two, she adopted a friendly face. "Sasuke, I think you have something you should give Ms. Haruno here before we get her sent home to towel off…?" Sasuke's face lit up before he reached in his pocket and pulled out a card.

"Here Sakura, this is for you. I hope you can make it. It should be a lot of fun." The boy leaned close to whisper in her ear. "Plus, I can promise to make sure Naruto doesn't get you all wet again." The girl giggled at this, and gladly accepted the invitation. Mikoto smiled at the scene and decided to do her own bit of meddling.

"Kushina, I'll make sure Sakura and Ino get home safe before I head back home with Sasuke." Mikoto smiled knowingly at her friend from across the way. Nothing like girls to stir up a little rivalry between boys.

Kushina nodded at this and turned to grab Naruto's hand. "Come on, we're going to head home and tell your dad about your exciting adventure."

"Do we have to go mom? I was just starting to have fun with everyone…" Kushina chuckled a bit, but nodded her head and motioned for them to leave. "Alright, well, I'll see you tomorrow. It was nice to meet you Sakura, and you can tell me all about what Ino said next time, okay?" Naruto smirked as Ino face faulted at this. 'Haha, knew I could get something on her one of these days.'

Sakura ran up to him though and leaned down to whisper in his ear. "She just said a bunch of stuff about you being a really obnoxious blonde who was kind of cute." Naruto's jaw dropped at this and his eyes went wide.

"Is that really what she said?" Naruto's mind was a whirl as he thought about this. 'I thought she liked Sasuke's hair better, but I get called cute? Wow! I can't wait to rub it in Sasuke's face...' Naruto grinned like a fox and chuckled lightly to himself.

"Yeah, pretty much. Well, I'll see you tomorrow Naruto-kun." Sakura turned and skipped back to the others. Ino gave him a worried glance, and Sasuke just raised his eyebrows in question. Naruto shook himself before waving and then walking over to where his mom was waiting. As Naruto walked away, only a single thought ran through his mind. 'Her hair and eyes are really pretty, and she's really nice. Her forehead was kind of big though…'

xXxXxXx

AHAHAHAHAHA! You thought I was going to give you all the way NaruSaku fluff? HAH! Think again. I don't do main character pairings, they bother the *&%^ out of me. Sorry about the epic length of this chapter, but it was necessary to get a couple things done in this chapter. This arc is titled Younger Days and will be one or two more chapters. It will set up the Emissary arc that will come next, and once that concludes we should be ready for the next timeskip. Probably looking at about five chapters for the second arc, so that one will take some time. As always, shoot me a review after you read the chapter. If any of you want, I'll hear possible pairings for Sasuke in village. It will have to be a fairly serious pairing though, so you better give me some decent reasons for making it work. The only girls available are those in Konoha, and I won't accept any suggestion for Sasuke and Hinata (I have other plans involving the Hyuuga heiress but those need some time to flesh out...). Anyways, let me know and I'll work out the relationship after these two arcs conclude.


	5. Chapter 5

I do not own Naruto or any affiliated characters in any way, shape, or form. Hope you enjoy!

xXxXxXx

**_Second Arc: Early Days_**

xXxXxXx

Itachi looked out from his spot in the trees, watching as Kushina and Naruto headed off towards the Namikaze estate. He heard the voices of Mikoto and Sasuke as they moved on the path below him, and he slipped into the shadows, hoping to avoid his mother's eyesight. He needn't have bothered though, for she was focused on Sasuke and Sakura. Itachi looked away from the ground, and spotted his ANBU captain from across the way. Kakashi nodded once, and leapt away into the trees.

Itachi landed first, a ring of trees surrounding a bit of open grass. Birds and animals scattered at his landing, their sounds of fright rebounding in the wooded glade. On all sides, thick patches of tall briars cut off sight, and numerous trees blocked out most of the upper canopy. The boy pulled out several kunai, and threw them into the four corners of a square. Kakashi landed a moment later, and added his own to the set of four. In an instant, the clearing was deathly quiet, all sounds of the animals muffled.

"I take it you have a good reason for interrupting my afternoon with Naruto and Kushina" Itachi activated his Sharingan, letting them roam over Kakashi and his movements.

"I wanted to know if it was true that you had surpassed the entire clan." Kakashi merely shrugged and lifted his headband, a spinning Sharingan coming to life in his own eye. A moment later, it began to shift, changing to that similar to a pinwheel whose edges were bent back on themselves.

Itachi sighed, looking down as he deactivated his doujutsu. "So you did manage to activate it on your last training trip with Jiraiya. Unfortunately, you have missed much of the development in the Uchiha Clan politics." Kakashi lowered his forehead protector, and placed his hands in his pockets.

"I had heard from the rumor mill that Naruto and Sasuke were on good terms. Are the parents not as friendly as the kids?" Itachi smirked at that, shaking his head.

"Naruto and Sasuke are just as good of friends as Minato and Fugaku. No, the problem lies in how the rest of the clan feels about that relationship." Kakashi frowned, though the gesture was lost in part to his mask. "When the details of Madara's attack were disclosed to the clan council, they refused to accept the descriptions as valid. They thought the description of the attack felt like a setup. However, when Fugaku sided with the story of the Fourth Hokage, there was a split in the leadership. Some wanted to remain loyal to the ideas of the clan founder, while others thought it best to stay the course of supporting Konoha." Kakashi sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"This is the worst time for me to develop that technique. The Mangekyou is already considered a cursed bloodline ability, so the council will never accept me as a replacement Hokage. Though he may select you for the replacement…" Itachi merely smirked at that, once more shaking his head left and right.

"He has given me orders to inspect rumors about a rebellion of the Uchiha building inside of Konoha. So far, I have discovered serious implications of several clan members, and as time progresses, I am realizing just how precariously we are balanced on the knife's edge. It's looking like we have until the end of summer before a civil war breaks out in my clan." Kakashi's eyes went wide, and he suddenly gripped a single kunai that he chucked towards the nearest tree. It imbedded itself up to the hilt of the blade. A seal flashed on it, and an entirely new sensation gripped the air.

"This is not good. All of the diplomatic meetings are taking place this summer, so if there is any form of threat it must be eliminated. He's only got you investigating this case?" Itachi nodded once, "Damn. That means he probably wants to keep you as backup for a special ops mission." Kakashi reached into his pocket, and drew out a single, small scroll. Tossing it to Itachi, Kakashi began to form seals rapidly. In an instant, several dogs stood before him. "You all need to spread out in a circle pattern near this clearing. Warn me if anyone approaches." The dogs nodded and dispersed in an instant.

"This is the information Jiraiya had on the Mangekyou Sharingan?" Itachi's voice did not waver, but his eyes scanned the page quickly. His face was drawn in slightly, making the angles of his face into a frightening visage. "No wonder the council thinks this is a cursed doujutsu. The requirements to make it permanent are barbaric." Itachi crumpled the scroll and tossed it into the air. His hands flashed through hand seals, and an inferno engulfed the item. "There must be no record of such a technique. I will find the clan information and obliterate it." Ashes fell around Itachi, and the boy turned towards his ANBU captain with rage set into his eyes.

"There must remain information on any kekkei genkai within the village. Those are the rules Itachi. Besides, the Hokage has already given you a mission to investigate your clan. Now that I have given what report I can on my training, I would like to hear what you have uncovered in more detail." Itachi grimaced, before snorting and turning his head to the side.

"All I know is that the rebellion is scheduled to happen around the meeting of three nations. That's all I know at the moment. There is also a powerful Uchiha leading the rebellion, who I am supposed to meet in a week's time. Other than that, I only know insignificant members at the moment. My father and mother are both already beginning to suspect me and the police are watching me closely as it is." Kakashi shook his head sadly, and turned towards the recently placed sealing kunai. Removing it, Itachi watched as the ashes he had just created seemed to spin into a single black ball, before disappearing entirely from existence.

"That's all you should tell me for now. From now on, report directly to the Hokage; he will be better able to guide you in this task." Itachi balled his fists into his hands and turned toward a different corner of the square. The two walked around the square, removing one focal point in time with each other.

"I won't see you at the festival, will I?" Itachi kept his eyes on the final link, his eyes already scanning the woods for his best escape route.

"Sorry, I have to attend to some other matters for the Hokage. Root is acting up as well, and the Hokage is asking ANBU to purge many of their ranks, probably in preparation for this coming storm." Itachi nodded, and pulled out his final kunai.

"Then, when it comes time, watch over Sasuke for me, will you?" Kakashi turned to look at his subordinate, but met with only disappearing leaves.

"I will, Itachi. I will watch over him and guide him to the proper path." With that, Kakashi leapt into the trees, putting distance between himself and the clearing as fast as possible.

xXxXxXx

Naruto looked himself over in the mirror, trying to decide if his mom was insane or a genius. The formal kimono he wore was orange, and had the symbol of his mom's village all over the place. Naruto normally liked the swirl symbol, but there were just so many of them. 'At least it's orange color. That much about the outfit is cool.' Naruto shook his head and tied a black silk obi around his waist. This kimono was apparently an old family heirloom, and was given to the male Uzumaki clan head. His mom had decided it would be only right if he wore the outfit.

Grabbing a long slender sword from the bed, Naruto turned and left his room. The sword was a gift for Sasuke, with a white handle and red blade representing the Uchiha clan's symbol. 'With this sword he's gonna look even cooler than I do. I'll have to make sure to ask for one from dad for sure!' Naruto ran down the spiral staircase, vaulting over a potted plant when he reached a bend near the bottom.

His mom was relaxing by the table, her own kimono a black pattern with red swirls brocaded over the silk garment. "Someone's excited. It's probably going to be just the same sort of party as last year, you know?" Kushina couldn't help but smile at the image her son made. 'He's going to grow up to be just as handsome as his father.' She started when she heard the door open behind her.

"Sorry I'm late you two! The office had quite a lot of paperwork today, so I ended up just leaving a clone there to take care of the office." Minato Namikaze walked through the door, not missing the weak smile headed his way from his son. 'I really need to spend more time around the house, or Naruto's never going to get a chance to know me outside the office. Maybe I'll take Shikaku's advice and get a secretary…' Minato walked over and knelt in front of his son. "Your hair's crazier than mine ever was. I'm sorry I haven't been home a lot lately, son." Minato reached out and ran his hands through his son's hair.

Naruto's smile grew a bit, and he stepped forward quickly to catch his dad in a hug. "It's alright. I get that you're busy all the time. I just miss you a lot when you're always working." Minato leaned into the hug, holding on tight to his son. 'I'll make sure the future is brighter and better for you, Naruto.' Kushina smiled at the scene, before standing and placing a hand on Minato's shoulder.

"Naruto, your dad needs to go get changed. Why don't you and I go and get all the food ready for the party while we wait for him, huh?" Naruto stepped back from this, and rubbed his hand across his nose. He had a few tears glistening at the corner of his eyes.

"Come on, we better get started. I made a lot of food for the party." Kushina led her son towards the kitchen, nodding at Minato. He smiled wanly back at her before disappearing in a flash of yellow. Kushina reached into her pocket and pulled out a simple piece of cloth. "Here Naruto, take this handkerchief. You shouldn't wipe your nose on such a nice kimono." She could have sworn she heard a mumbled thanks as her son took the proffered item.

A few moments later, there was a hissing sound and Minato appeared, dressed in a fine white kimono with red swirls creating the signature family pattern. "You two got everything ready then?" The two nodded back at him, their arms filled with all sorts of packages. A smirk came over his face as he held out his hand. In it was an oddly shaped, three pronged Kunai. "Hold on then, because tonight we travel my favorite way." The two reached out and placed their hands over the kunai. In a flash, all three of them disappeared from the family home.

xXxXxXx

In the blink of an eye, the Namikaze family appeared in a small clearing. Minato had decided during the village reconstruction to leave seals placed all over the village that would allow him to appear wherever he needed to in a moment's notice. Some had been against the seeming invasion of privacy, so Minato had asked that specialized areas be kept marked off for the appearance of the Hokage. The village council eventually agreed to this, especially after Minato agreed to teach the technique to each successive Hokage as a mark of office.

Stepping out of the simple clearing, the family turned towards the Uchiha clan gates. Minato turned and took several of the packages from his wife and son. "Come on, we don't want to be late for the clan festival, do we?" Naruto's smirk grew and he raced ahead of his parents.

"Waiting on you now dad! You sure you're really fast enough to be the Hokage?" Minato smirked at his son, turning to spare a quick glance at his wife. She simply nodded, and in a moment, the Fourth Hokage was racing his son through the clan compound streets. The streets were just starting to get filled with individuals preparing stalls. Though it was a two weeks early for Sasuke's birthday, Tanabata was a great time to hold a birthday celebration.

Still, it made catching up to his rambunctious son rather interesting, especially as Naruto seemed to delight in off the wall moves. Unfortunately, those moves often caused precariously stacked boxes and ornate decorations to almost be destroyed. The only thing saving them were the antics of the Fourth Hokage, running as desperately as he could to help forestall each near disaster. 'I guess I know to train him in chaos creation. Still, I'd feel bad for the enemy I unleashed him on in that case.' Minato dodged a falling set of crates before throwing his only kunai backwards. In an instant, he was under the crates, replacing each one as it fell to the ground. Minato was growing tired of playing around, and his son seemed to be smiling like this was all some sort of game.

"I still say you aren't fast enough if you can't even catch me!" Naruto had a wide smile spread over his face, looking far too much like a grinning fox. "I mean seriously! How can…" Naruto was cut off by his dad's kunai flying close enough to knick his cheek and draw a little blood. "Holy crap dad! That could have hit me, you know?" Naruto calmed down quickly though when he saw his dad smirk at him. "Uh oh…"

xXxXxXx

Marked with a Hiraishin symbol on his arm, Naruto sulked walking next to his dad. Every time Naruto tried to slip away Minato would appear suddenly right beside him. "Still think I'm not fast enough?" Naruto grumbled under his breath about cheating seal users. Minato just smiled and ruffled his hair at this, the two proceeding up the walkway to the main compound. Before long, they stood on the steps to the main household.

"So, you two finally decided to show up, huh? Pretty slow for the infamous Yellow Flash…" Kushina smiled down at her loved ones, and couldn't help but chuckle as both began to rub the backs of their heads while closing their eyes. The two caught themselves, blinked once, and then laughed lightly. "Like father like son, I guess. Come on Naruto, Sasuke and the others are waiting for you!" Kushina held open the door for her son, gesturing him onward. That was all it took for Naruto to bolt off, leaving his dad to catch his dropped packages.

Minato chuckled lightly under his breath. "That kid has all of your energy and all of my clumsiness. I really worry about how he'll end up in a few years." Kushina smiled at her husband, stooping to pick up some of his share of the packages.

"Yeah, but he has all of my heartfelt nature, and is just as surprisingly astute as you are. He'll do just fine. Plus, he got your good looks to boot." She grinned at Minato as she slipped her arm into his. 'Even now, he blushes like crazy when I call him good looking. I love my man.'

The wedded couple made their way up the steps to see Naruto and Sasuke already running off to the festival. "Do you think we should go and look after him?"

Minato shook his head, smiling down at Kushina. "We're surrounded by Konoha's finest police force. I couldn't think of a safer place for him to be right now." Kushina sighed, relaxing into her husband's side.

"Glad to see Konoha's most beautiful couple could make it to the festivities." Mikoto smiled pleasantly as she approached the two. "Still, you should take an effort to be seen more in public with your wife, Minato-kun. If you don't, the rumor mill will start talking about Kushina and Kakashi-kun." Minato laughed at this, and Kushina looked outraged at her friend, who merely smiled back.

"Seriously, we were only heading to the park together with Naruto! Plus, he ran off on me when I got there, leaving me to fend for myself with Mikoto-san." Kushina was blushing red in the face, and waving her arms around to deny the charges.

"While I did teach Kakashi, there are certain things that are not passed from teacher to student. One is how to keep my wife happy." Minato smiled down at the blushing look on Kushina's face.

"Oh, and just how do you do that?" Mikoto smiled, her eyes dancing with mischief. The chance to embarrass Kushina was just too good to pass up.

"The easiest way I can tell you is this: Compliment her hair. I won't tell you exactly how you're supposed to compliment it, but there is a certain way." Kushina gasped lightly, hugging her husband closer to her while still blushing like mad.

"Hmm, sounds so simple, but I'm sure there's more than you let on." Turning, Mikoto waved the two down a hallway. "Come on, this is where all the adults are relaxing. We have Itachi watching over the group of kids." The Hokage and his wife gladly followed, proceeding down the hallway.

xXxXxXx

Outside, the sounds of laughter could be heard, adding to the music of the festival opening. Naruto and Sasuke led the group they were in, both taking to leadership quite easily. The group quickly found themselves going all over the fair, spending money left and right that their parents had given them for games and food.

Several hours passed, and soon the group was down to only enough coin for one or two more games. Naruto and Sasuke were each competing at a simple squirt gun game, their guns firing and knocking down ducks that walked back and forth. Sakura was firing at her own stand next to the boys, and quite a crowd had gathered around the trio. A ticking sound was speeding up, the timer winding down the match.

"Go Naruto! You can beat them!" Hinata was surprised at her outcry. Normally she was very shy, but whenever she was around the Hokage's son she found her nerves grew stronger.

"As if! Sasuke-kun's got this in the bag for sure!" Ino jostled the other young girl, her blonde hair swept back into a small ponytail for the evening. 'Hinata sure does get braver whenever she's around Naruto.' Ino smirked as she kept cheering for the raven haired boy. 'I bet she's even got a little crush on the blockhead. I'll have to keep an eye on her, especially if she thinks she can steal my second choice.'

"Alright, that's it! Time's up, guns down!" The load voice of the stand keeper brooked no argument, and the scores were quickly calculated. "The rankings are as follows! Sasuke Uchiha with 140 points, Naruto Namikaze with 150 points…" Naruto grinned at Sasuke, who shot him a petulant look. "…and Sakura Haruno with 310 points. The winner is Sakura Haruno!" Both boys turned with dropped jaws of surprise. Naruto shook himself, and quickly glanced up at the scoreboard, daring it to agree. When he did, the boys face faulted before his hand went to scratch the back of his head.

"Good job, Sakura-chan. You really beat both of us!" Sakura blushed a bit before striking a victory pose.

"Heh, guess I just got lucky." Inwardly though, Sakura was saying much different things. 'CHA! WE TOTALLY SHOWED THEM! NOW I CAN CHOOSE WHICH ONE I WANT AND THERE'S NOTHING INO CAN DO!'

"Man, I would hate to get my butt kicked like that." A boy with red marks on his cheeks chuckled at Naruto's and Sasuke's expense. One boy stopped stuffing his face with some popcorn and turned to look at the kid in the blue colored kimono.

"Oh yeah, Kiba? I'd like to see how you'd do against Hinata and Ino! Unless you're too chicken…" Choji's barb struck the Inuzuka rather hard, and the youth grumbled before stepping forward. He fished what little cash he had out of his pocket and slammed it down on the stand's tabletop.

"That's it; I'm paying for three matches, myself, Ino and Hinata. I'm not afraid of some girls Akimichi, and I'll prove it to you!" The two girls giggled a bit at this, but quickly got themselves under control. Grinning, they stepped up to the booth.

The heavyset boy turned towards a boy with his hair tied back in a samurai topknot. "Neh, Shikamaru, you think we should tell Hana about that?" The samurai looking kid sighed, his green and brown kimono slouching just as much as he did.

"It'd be way too troublesome to do that. Besides, it could be more fun to use it as blackmail for a later day." The thinner boy smiled at his friend, who laughed and offered him a bit of popcorn. Shikamaru smiled and took a decent handful of the munchies.

The rest of the kids were cheering on Kiba and the others, though the outcome was rather obvious. Hinata had activated her bloodline, letting her long bangs hide her eyes. With that in place though, she got to see when each duck was about to pop back up, allowing her to rack up the points incredibly fast. As the ticking clock began to toll, it was quite obvious that Hinata had the game in the bag.

"Alright, that's it! Time's up and guns down!" The stand keeper barked out once more, though this time he reached under the table top. What he pulled out was a stuffed rabbit. "This goes to the young lady, who won a free prize with over 500 points!" The stand keeper turned and cast a smirking glance at the Inuzuka. "Thanks for the business kid, but be glad you weren't betting. Even that black haired kid did better than you!" Kiba grumbled under his breath, and the others laughed at his expense this time.

An older looking boy with straight hair similar to Sasuke's approached the group. He was wearing a headband, and had the same black eyes as the other raven haired boy. Naruto was the first to notice the older kid. "Hey, Itachi! You come to play some games with us? I think we have enough for one last game…" Naruto held up a heavily deflated toad wallet, his eyes scanning over the little remaining cash.

"No, I'm here to take you all back to the house. My little brother has to open all of his presents before we have the family dinner." Sasuke turned and pouted at this. 'He's probably having such a good time that he doesn't want to head back yet. Oh well, I'll make it up to him by training with him some tomorrow.' Itachi waved his hand and Sasuke frowned before walking up to his brother. Just as Sasuke got close, Itachi reached out and poked him in the forehead. "Sorry little brother, but I'll make it up to you tomorrow. I'll show you that kunai jutsu you've been asking about." Sasuke grimaced at the familial touch, but then brightened at the prospect of training with his older brother.

"Come on, I'm here to make sure you all make it back alright." The others turned and started to follow the older boy, quickly falling into step. Ino found herself between Choji and Shikamaru, her arms around each of the boys' arms as she pulled the two away from a food stand. Sakura was likewise distracted with both Sasuke and Kiba, who seemed to have decided their last bit of cash should buy some training shuriken.

'Boys and food and weapons! These festivals are a great way to lose track of these idiots…' Ino paused in her musings as she caught Hinata locked arm in arm with Naruto. The Hyuuga was blushing like an idiot, but Naruto seemed not to notice and was busily praising her for winning the rabbit. The girl clutched her bunny closer, and smiled up at the boy. 'Ohoho! I so have some good things to grill her about tonight!' Ino smiled wickedly as the group headed towards the household.

xXxXxXx

It wasn't long until the group had descended upon the present table, and Sasuke had gone about unwrapping his gifts. Kiba had gotten him some trench knives that looked like dog fangs. Hinata had presented the Uchiha heir with a simple incense holder and some sandalwood sticks. Shikamaru, Choji and Ino had given their gift together; a puzzle game that needed three partners to complete. Sakura had gotten Sasuke a blue shirt with the Uchiha fan on the back. This caught a number of the kids by surprise so that Sakura had to stammer out an explanation.

"My dad's a silk merchant, and he was able to make this custom for Sasuke. It's protected against fire, and is really durable too." Sakura blushed under the attention of the others, but Sasuke looked really taken aback.

"Thank you for this. It should help distinguish me a lot when we all start training at the academy this fall." Sakura's blush deepened as she was complimented by the boy. Shaking her head, she brushed the compliment aside and pointed to the last present that he had yet to unwrap.

"Oh yeah, Sasuke, you won't believe what I got for you!" Naruto was practically bouncing out of his seat at the moment, excited for his friend to finally open his gift. Sasuke smiled at his best friend, and turned to unwrap the package. When it was finally free, the white and red combination of the sword caused even the adults to raise their eyebrows. Several questioning glances were tossed the way of Minato, who merely smirked and shook his head.

Sasuke carefully drew the sword out, and was shocked at the battle ready edge that greeted his eyes. "Thank you Naruto." His voice was pitched low, his eyes roaming over the deadly implement. Sasuke closed his eyes, smiling as he returned the blade to its scabbard. "Thank you, Naruto, and everyone else. You guys are awesome." Sasuke looked at them all happily, and the others smiled back in kind.

"We've got one last gift for you, son. These are from your mom and I; they are elemental chakra cards. They'll let you know if you have an affinity with a certain element. We're giving you three so you can share with two others, hopefully ones who'll be your teammates some day." Sasuke smiled up at his dad, taken aback by the gesture. Minato seemed to be frowning, but Kushina nudged him. Normally, the Hokage had final say on who was on teams. He'd let this slide though, at least for now.

"Thanks dad. Do you mind if I pick the other two now?" Fugaku blinked at this, but turned a slightly hard look at his son.

"You know that you don't pick who your teammates are when you graduate from the academy Sasuke?" Sasuke nodded his head, but looked up smiling at his dad.

"I know that would help my team, but I'd rather share these with my two best friends." Fugaku smiled at this, but shook his head.

"Why don't you wait till later to use those then. You wouldn't want to make any of your other friends jealous, would you?"Sasuke looked taken aback by this, but nodded at his father.

From a corner of the room came the sound of yawning. Shikamaru had apparently fallen asleep after his gift had been opened, and was just now waking. Shikaku shook his head at his son's antics, and grimaced when his wife Yoshino elbowed him for his bad influence.

"Well, I think we should take Shikamaru's advice, and send the kids to bed, don't you Kushina?" Mikoto turned to her friend, who stifled a small laugh and nodded her ascension. There was some grumbling among the kids, and the whispers of 'Nice going Shikamaru'. Before long, the kids were settled into their rooms, and the adults turned to conversing and talking amongst themselves.

It wasn't long before most of the boys had settled down to sleep, though two of them remained awake. Naruto turned to Sasuke, a questioning look on his face. "You were going to offer those chakra slips to me and Sakura, weren't you?" Naruto couldn't be sure, but he could have sworn that Sasuke was smiling in the dark.

"Yeah. Ever since that incident at the river, you and Sakura have gotten along really well together. Plus, I can't think of two people I have more fun hanging out with. I wanted to share those with you two so you could get stronger." Naruto looked puzzled at this, so Sasuke sighed before he continued.

"My brother and I have a very strange relationship. He's always getting stronger, and my dad keeps comparing the two of us all the time. I want to get strong enough that my father will recognize me as well, so I'm going to work hard to surpass my brother. If I'm going to do that, I figured that I should have some other powerful friends." Sasuke smirked as he turned to Naruto. "Between being the Hokage's son, and the hero of our village, I figure you'll be a very powerful friend to test myself against." Naruto smiled at this, nodding his head.

After a moment though, a mischievous grin replaced the benign smile. "Hey, Sasuke, if you want to be a better ninja than your brother we should practice right now!" The whisper was a little loud, and the older boy shushed his friend.

"What are you talking about? It's late, and I'm pretty spent from the fair. Not all of us have that insane energy of yours, you know?" Naruto just smiled wider, and moved closer to whisper more carefully.

"The adults are definitely meeting right now to discuss something important. We should see if we can sneak close and find out what they're talking about…" Sasuke was surprised by this, but nodded in agreement. "We should wake up Hinata too, she'll know how to sneak up on those Hyuuga eye's her dad uses." Sasuke rolled his eyes, seeing through Naruto's desire to have the other girl close-by. The two had hit it off quite well that evening, playing and joking more together than they did with anyone else.

"All right, we'll pick up your little girlfriend. But I still think Sakura would make a better potential teammate than Hinata." Naruto began to frown and looked like he was about to start shouting. Sasuke quickly shushed him and glanced quickly around the room. "Come on, let's just go get her, alright?" Sasuke rolled his eyes once more as the two slipped quietly from the room.

xXxXxXx

Hyuuga Hinata though did not manage to escape with just an eye-roll from Sakura and Ino. "We totally saw you two linking arms and walking back together!" Ino's hiss was just loud enough to not carry past the room where the three girls were supposedly sleeping. Truth be told, they had been up for the last hour talking in whispers about the fair and the boys. Ino had just finally gotten to springing her trap on the white-eyed heiress though, and she was not planning on quitting tell she hit pay dirt.

"I don't know what you're talking about Ino-san. Besides, you were arm in arm with Shikamaru and Choji," Hinata was blushing furiously, despite her well-worded retort. Sakura chuckled, seeing Ino's game immediately.

"I have to admit, I wouldn't mind linking arms with Naruto. Still, I did get to hold Sasuke's arm for a little while…" Sakura grinned at Ino, whose face was scowling at the pinkette. Sakura stuck her tongue out at her friend, who merely huffed before turning back to Hinata.

"See Hinata, Sakura's interested in Naruto too. You better be careful or the little floozy will steal both Sasuke and Naruto all for herself." Hinata giggled at Ino, and then broke into light laughter at the outraged look on Sakura's face. Sakura proceeded to pick up a pillow and lightning seemed to spark between the eyes of the pinkette and blonde. Hinata stifled her laughter in time to reach out and put a hand on Sakura's arm. The girl turned at the touch, settling down for a second.

"Alright, I'll admit it. I like Naruto a little bit." Ino and Sakura's head whipped around in surprise at the girls sudden declaration. Hinata was stymied a bit by the sudden looks, her fingers coming around to push together in front of her waist. "I mean, he's just so kind, and energetic all the time. Plus, he's…he's not stuck up like a lot of the other Hyuuga. Still, I don't know if I have a chance with him, he is the Hokage's son and all…" Ino rolled her eyes at the girl, smiling a little bit.

"Hinata, you've got more of a chance than you think. The kid obviously likes you, plus you're the heir of the Hyuuga clan too." Hinata looked up surprised at her friend. "I bet he's probably thinking about you even now, the knucklehead." Hinata ducked her head at this, and her blush was back even stronger. At this point though, there came a slight knocking on the door. Too quiet to be one of the adults, the girls knew it was probably one of the boys. Ino shushed the other two, and approached the door. Opening the door slightly, Ino carefully brought her face around to the crack in the sliding doorway.

At first there was nothing, and then a head and set of eyes appeared. "Ino, quick let me in. I can't hold this invisibility jutsu much longer!" Ino gasped and stepped aside, pulling the door much farther open. Naruto and Sasuke stumbled in, both grinning sheepishly. The girls were changed into basic nightclothes, and were underneath the covers for the most part.

Naruto spoke up quickly before Ino could get her breath back. "We want to sneak in and see what the adults are talking about. Hinata, will you come with us? You have to know how to get around your dad's byakugan, right?" All three girls were surprised by this, but Hinata merely nodded. Her blush was back in full force, and Ino shot her a knowing look.

"His view covers nearly 360 degrees, but it's harder for him to see underground. If we could sneak under the house we could hear what they were saying without being found out if we're really quiet." Hinata's eyes did not leave the floor, and her fingers were back in front of her face, poking them together slowly.

"Alright, it'll be just like when we play ninja! But, how are we supposed to move underground? I'm not the best at digging tunnels, you know?" Naruto frowned into his thinking face, while an image of himself as a mole ran through his head.

"I know how we can get there, come on. Itachi and I use this when we are eating in the dining room and hear mom coming to get us to do chores." Sasuke had a school boy's grin as he headed towards the back of the room. He lifted aside one of the wood floor panels before stepping down onto the ground. "We'll have to crawl the whole way there, so unless you want to get dirty you should probably stay put." Ino and Sakura exchanged worried looks, but everyone was surprised when Hinata stepped down onto the dirt as well.

"I'll tell you two girls everything we find out, okay? That way only one of us has to get in trouble tonight." Sakura smiled warmly at Hinata, and Ino nodded her thanks. Naruto smirked to the two girls before joining the other two. In short order, they were quickly beneath the room all the adults were gathered in. At first there was nothing interesting, mostly guests leaving and saying they'd be back in the morning. Soon, it was only Naruto's and Sasuke's parents left in the room. They heard Fugaku Uchiha speak first.

"Thank you for the fine sword for my son. I'll make sure to start training him with it as soon as possible." Minato did not seem to say anything, so the three assumed that he had just nodded. Sasuke however, was smiling widely. 'My dad's going to train me in something, and Itachi said he'd show me that kunai jutsu. This is great!'

"However, I am a little concerned about this permission request of yours. Is there a reason why you want Itachi to train under you for the next little while? I had heard he was going to make ANBU captain before long…" Naruto turned and gave Sasuke a confused look. Apparently Naruto was not aware of this training either.

"Yes, he was slated to make ANBU captain before long, but I have grander plans than that for him. As you know, I already picked someone to possibly be my next successor in Kakashi Hatake." There was a sudden silence by this, and Naruto and Hinata turned and looked at Sasuke for a reason.

Barely willing to dare a whisper, Sasuke said, "My clan doesn't really like Hatake-san. He wasn't born with a Sharingan, but he uses it better than a lot of the others do." The brief explanation was all they had time for, as they could hear the sound of a tea cup being set down. As Naruto looked back up, he could swear he saw his dad looking through the floorboard that they hid under. The gaze lifted though as Minato turned back to Fugaku.

"I know you don't approve of Hatake-san, but there is a reason I chose him. This village has stood too long without recognizing the contributions of the Uchiha clan. That is why I'm going to train Itachi, so that after Kakashi has been Hokage for a number of years, the village will be ready to see a Sharingan user lead the way. I'm planning on making the announcement soon. I hope your clan will approve of such a broad goal." Another slight pause followed, this one much more comfortable to the ears.

"Yes, I see now. I understand why that would be desirous, though there will always be a few who would ask why perhaps Shisui or other powerful Uchiha are not considered at the moment. Also, if your plan is to have the Uchiha eventually recognized within Konoha, why have you moved to limit the number of Uchiha on the police force?" Fugaku's voice was now more curious than anything else.

"I merely wanted a way to get more of the Uchiha seen in the village in a less intimidating role. It would help the clan to train with the Inuzuka and the Hyuuga as well, both of which will have a lot to offer in the way of police work." Naruto smiled at this, thinking how cool it was that his dad got to help people for his job.

"I understand now. Alright, I am more than happy to accept the idea of Itachi as the possibility for the Rokudaime Hokage. Why don't we turn to the other matter you presented me with…" The three could hear the sounds of papers being shuffled around, and before long it seemed a table had been set up above their heads. Lamps were lit and soon the three could see up clearly through the cracks in the floor boards. Once more, Naruto felt his father's eyes pass over where the three lay, and this time, he could swear he saw sadness in his eyes.

"This is an escort mission I understand. We are to ferry Temari Sabaku to the village in order for her to meet her prospective husband, correct? Besides her being the daughter of the Kazekage, is there anything else important we should know?" Fugaku's voice had taken on a far more business-like tone, the voice clipped and authoritative.

"Yes. Her youngest brother is the container for the Ichibi, Shukaku. Her older brother is also the village's future puppet master if my sources are correct." Naruto could not stop himself from drawing in a deep breath at this. The others looked at him, expecting him to speak, but Naruto shook his head and remained silent. Inside though, he was very conflicted. 'They're bringing another demon container to Konoha? I…I might get to meet someone like me…' Naruto's eyes were clouded with emotion, but the voices above continued regardless.

"It's also very important that she come to my office first. I must explain some things to the girl regarding the eventual marriage." From Sasuke's viewpoint, he could see his father nod, and make some brush marks on a piece of paper. "The most important thing your escort will be responsible for is guarding my son, who will be accompanying you. I can't tell you how dangerous it will be to have two demon containers meet each other in broad daylight outside a village. Especially when neither are fully trained shinobi or trained in controlling their respective powers." Fugaku nodded at this, his head turning to look the other in the eyes.

"So it's true that your son is the candidate for the marriage from Konoha." All three of the kids froze at this, just managing to keep in gasps of surprise.

"It is. My son will, upon his sixteenth birthday, be expected to marry for the sake of the village. The marriage meeting will take place this summer though, in order to assure that the treaty resigning with both Suna and Takigakure goes off without a hitch. The treaty meeting will take place in Takigakure, showing our support and allowing us to gather information on the growing village. I also am planning on having some other political meetings around that time…" The rest of the Hokage's speech was lost on the three. They just kept staring between themselves, unsure of what to think.

Hinata had a streak of tears dripping down her face, and Naruto and Sasuke silently took note. Naruto slowly started to make his way back to the girls' room. None of the three said anything when they arrived, the looks on their faces silencing Sakura and Ino. The morning found all three of them tired, none of them being able to sleep well after what they had heard.

xXxXxXx

The three kids had not been the only eavesdroppers on the meeting, though Itachi smiled from beneath the ground at his brother's antics. 'That Naruto is going to get you into so much trouble, isn't he, little brother?' Itachi smiled, and listened to the ongoing conversation. Itachi remained impassive throughout the exchange, and eventually moved through the ground to outside the family compound. Ending the tunneling jutsu, Itachi appeared in a simple training ground on the family grounds. He was already within a kunai sealing square of sound, sight and smell. When Minato appeared a moment later, the area became suffused with the energy of additional seals.

"So, did they show up?" Itachi nodded, and Minato smirked slightly. "I thought I noticed them. Well, I guess he was bound to find out sooner or later. Wish he had let me tell him in person, but it's a bit too late now. I'll have to talk about it to him soon. Did you manage to determine who the others were?" Minato sighed, and looked at Itachi like a man about to put down a good dog.

"I noted both Sasuke Uchiha and Hinata Hyuuga in attendance with your son. You will probably have to have their parents discuss the marriage with them as well." Itachi paused, looking carefully at the Hokage's face. It seemed far too sad for the type of news he expected to be receiving. "You named me as a future successor because you still hope that the idea an Uchiha might become Hokage will be enough to stall the coming battle." Minato nodded at Itachi, and pulled out a set of scrolls. He set the bundle down on the ground, keeping his eyes lowered.

"If that does not work though, there will be need to head off any bloodshed before the diplomatic mission with Suna concludes. I'm sorry, but there is going to be a lot riding on you at that point." Minato handed him the first of three scrolls, which expanded in size as he passed it to the young ninja.

"Why have you had me investigating the rebels, learning who is definitely against Konoha? What purpose would that serve to stem the bloodshed? It will only make me look like a betrayer to those that are loyal, and will make me into a target." Minato nodded sadly at this, and proffered the second scroll.

"Those that are loyal and trustworthy now of your mission. They will keep you safe from the loyal faction. When the time comes, you will betray the rebels. You will have to annihilate the entirety of the rebel faction. If you can uncover the rebel leader soon enough though, you might be able to kill him, and stall the attack long enough to prevent more bloodshed." Minato handed him the final scroll, and looked up from the ground. His eyes locked with Itachi's, and the sadness that had clouded them before were replaced with a hard look of determination.

"The first scroll is a list of Jiraiya's contacts within the village. You are to begin meeting with them, as your training with me will include learning all of the village's secrets should you actually become Hokage. If not, then they will provide contacts for you outside the village should you be forced to flee." Itachi tucked the first scroll into his coat and reached for the second.

"The second scroll details various sealing techniques that might prove useful when fighting against a Sharingan user. I hope you do not have to use them." Itachi's hand paused over pocketing the second scroll, trembling as it was secured in his coat.

"The final scroll details information on opposing villages and factions. Should you have to leave Konoha, it will help you find those who might be willing to take a renegade in. By stalling their plans, and getting information back to us, you will be able to keep your status as a shinobi of Konoha, regardless of the ramifications of any actions you take regarding your clan. I will hear any requests you might have at this point." Itachi looked up from the scroll, his eyes set hard, a mixture of hatred and sadness clouding them. The boy took several steadying breaths, his eyes flashing red in the darkness.

"I only ask for a few things, Hokage-sama. Allow my brother to serve on a team with those closest to him. Allow my brother and family to be away from the village on the night of the rebellion. And finally, should all of this lead to the Sharingan leaving the village, let it do so entirely. Let no one try to revive it through any means." Minato had nodded throughout the entire discussion, but grimaced at the last request. Sighing, the man looked Itachi in the eyes.

"It will be as you say. I only hope that we can protect the village as necessary." Itachi nodded once, and disappeared into the ground once more. Minato gathered the kunai, and faded silently into the night.

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Before I start with the standard goodbyes, I felt that since some of the recent reviews have really encouraged me to develop this story, that I should thank those loyal fans out there that drop me a line.

Umbra8191: You have left the same positive review after every chapter, usually right after I post the thing. Thank you so much for this, it encourages me to have such a frequent reader to update as often as possible.

Obsidian85: Your review, though short and only one, sparked a great discussion between us, and helped me to rewrite one of the chapters to more accurately reflect the tension I imagined the scene having. I look forward to the great reviews you leave, and am anxious for more.

Rixxell Stryfe: You came out of nowhere and posted four great reviews very quickly. I am so glad to see someone who discovered and liked the story this much, it's really encouraging to find. That being said, I look forward to hearing from you, your reviews keep me thinking about why I did certain things and help me make the story more interesting.

This is by far the longest chapter yet. I hope you all get a chance to enjoy it. I decided that instead of updating every week, I'll update every three days or so, at least until break is over. Hope that everyone got what they wanted for the holidays, and I expect more awesome reviews in the coming chapters. Also, I'm looking for some beta editors, so if you get the chance, send me a message showing you would be willing to do the deed. Hope to catch you next time! Read and review!


	6. Chapter 6

I do not own Naruto or any affiliated characters in any way, shape, or form. Hope you enjoy!

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**_Second Arc: Early Days_**

xXxXxXx

The morning after the festival found Naruto, Sasuke, and the other boys groggily waking to the rising sun. The birds were chirping outside the room, and before long, the sounds of food cooking was heard from the kitchen. Sasuke was up before the others, and headed off to the bathroom to fix his morning hair. Naruto had already changed into a new set of clothes, and was busy dragging the others to help prepare breakfast. The girls came out not much later, each of them in a new outfit for the morning, but all of them dressed simply. Naruto had a plain white shirt on, with an orange swirl on the front. He had black shorts on, which proved to be a good idea as the heat of the day began to settle in. All of the boys had already gathered around a bar with a bowl of cereal in front of them as Mikoto worked over the food in the kitchen.

Kiba and the other boys sported various t-shirts, and shorts, but Kiba's was drawing the most attention. He had a simple black shirt on, but the shorts seemed to have little puppy prints all over. Hinata noticed this first, and giggled lightly. This, unfortunately, drew the attention of the sleepy-eyed Ino.

"Hey, Kiba, is there a reason you have puppy paw prints on your butt?" Kiba coughed up some of his cereal and turned to scowl at the girl as the other boys snickered.

"Yeah, well, they were a gift from my sister, ok?" Kiba barked back at the girl, drawing his bowl of cereal closer to himself. Ino just let her smile widen as she stared closely at the boy.

"So, what was that last night about not being pushed around, huh?" Kiba let out a low growl and turned to look at the offending girl once more.

"My sister does the laundry around the house when mom's away and these were the only thing not dirty, alright? Besides, she likes it when I wear them, and that's all there is to it!" The snickering that had been present before had now turned into outright laughter. Kiba glanced around his friends, looking for some comfort, but found none. Even Mikoto was chuckling at the boy's expense. "Geez, I'm never gonna hear the end of this, am I?" Ino and the other girls moved over to the kitchen, picking up bowls of cereal from Sasuke's mother. Turning to sit down, they noticed Sasuke coming down the stairs. He was wearing tan shorts and the shirt that Sakura had given him last night.

The boy blinked once as he approached the kitchen, staring oddly in Kiba's direction, who was hunched sulkily over a cereal bowl.

"So, is there a reason for the paw prints on your butt, Kiba?" The whole group burst out into laughter, even as the boy grumbled lowly over his bowl. The group began to make snide comments on his behalf, and started asking questions about the Inuzuka clan traditions. Luckily, Kiba was spared more teasing as a knock was heard at the door. Mikoto smiled as she moved to open it, revealing Tsume Inuzuka, as well as the older generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho.

"You all must be here to get your kids. Come on in, I have breakfast cooking." Mikoto opened the door more, and gestured for the adults to enter. Ino, Shikamaru, and Choiji all jumped up to greet their parents as one, though Kiba still sulked over his meal.

"Thanks. I do hope Kiba wasn't too much trouble. He takes after his old man, after all…" Tsume smirked as she ruffled her son's hair. Kiba blinked, and looked up to smile at his mom. The boy playfully pulled her hand off of his hair though, but leaned into her side when she hugged him with one arm.

"Not at all, we were all just talking about Hana's gift to your son." Mikoto chuckled at the confused look on Tsume's face. "Those puppy paw print shorts are really cute…" Now Tsume burst out laughing, and Kiba just whined piteously as the group began to laugh.

Before long, the four sets of parents and children had departed. Mikoto had just begun to clear away the dishes from breakfast, when Itachi showed up.

"Sasuke, I know you still have a few guests here, but I don't have much time today if you want to learn that jutsu I promised you." Mikoto turned and frowned at her older son.

"Now, Minato can't be pushing up your training schedule already? You just got the promotion yesterday…" guilty looks flashed between Sasuke, Naruto and Hinata at this. Sakura though just looked confused, and stared up at Mikoto.

"Itachi got a promotion the other day?" Mikoto nodded to the girl, and then turned at the sound of a knock at the door. Itachi moved to open it, and revealed Hiashi Hyuuga, along with Kushina Uzumaki.

"Ah, Kushina, Hiashi, I was wondering when you two would show up…" Mikoto turned to look towards the sink, already full of breakfast dishes. "Sorry, you missed breakfast by a little bit. Still, your kids are changed and ready to go if you are!" Kushina smiled brightly and thanked her friend, and Hiashi just nodded plainly. Hinata had stiffened upon seeing her father, but she caught Naruto's eye as he stepped down from the barstool. That one look helped her stand a little taller as she faced her father.

"Thank the Uchiha clan head, Hinata. We have to be on our way soon." Hinata nodded to her father, then turned and bowed to Mikoto.

"Thank you for the wonderful meal, I hope we can visit more often." Hinata raised herself up and turned quickly to her father, who began to lead her out. Naruto blinked at this, and then turned and mimicked her bow.

"Yeah, thanks for everything. It was really great to get to meet some of Sasuke's family and stuff." Naruto put his hands behind his back, and scratched his head awkwardly.

"Sakura, you're going to be coming with Naruto and me, alright? Minato is having a meeting with your father at the moment, so I said we'd pick you up." Sakura nodded, and bowed politely to Mikoto as well, before giving a quick thank you. Mikoto just smiled as she watched the kids depart, then turned towards Sasuke and Itachi.

"You be careful training your brother, alright Itachi? I know you are considered a prodigy and all, but make sure your brother gets the chance to become a great ninja at his own pace." Itachi smiled at his mom as she ruffled Sasuke's hair, who merely scowled in response. She smiled down at her son, and then turned back to the dishes. Sasuke jumped up as his silent brother merely moved towards the door.

"Come on, you're gonna have to be quick if you want to pull this jutsu off just right little brother." Sasuke smiled, and ran to catch up with Itachi's departing image. Soon, the two were in the training clearing of the Uchiha compound.

"Sasuke, before we start, there is something father wanted me to talk to you about." Sasuke frowned at the mention of his father. Itachi said nothing at this, and threw four strange kunai into a square pattern around the four. "What you overheard last night, concerning Naruto, is going to be known about at large. I'm sure that Hinata is getting the same talk as well." Sasuke's eyes went wide at this, and he looked like he was about to protest.

"Do you really think a bunch of kids playing ninja would be able to sneak up on the Fourth Hokage?" Sasuke fell quiet at this, and turned his gaze to the ground. "Now then, you need to understand that Naruto, as well as you and Hinata, occupy special places in this village. Naruto is the son of the current Hokage, as well as the container for the nine-tailed fox, making him occupy a position of political value both within and outside of the village. Hinata is the daughter of the leader of the Hyuuga, and will most likely face a political marriage within her clan." Sasuke grunted at this and looked up at his brother.

"But you're older than I am, so you'll have to deal with all of this, and I won't, right?" Itachi smiled down at his younger brother and shook his head.

"Sasuke, there are going to be certain things that might limit me from taking over the kind of responsibilities that come with being the son of a clan head. I'm progressing far too fast to stay within the clan, meaning you will have to take over some of those responsibilities eventually. You are in the same position as Hinata. You will one day have to face a marriage within the clan as part of your duty to the family." Sasuke returned his gaze to the ground, and shook his head. "Someday, all three of you will have to face a similar situation as Naruto faces now. In the time being, just do all you can to keep this between you and your friends. If it helps, pretend that this is a secret that you want to keep from the adults. I'm sorry brother, but for those in positions of power, there is usually little choice in certain matters." Sasuke shook his head again, and looked back up at his brother.

"That's all a long way away, right? So just teach me this jutsu, and then spend more time at home. You're always going around doing missions and stuff, but I want to see my brother more…" Itachi again smiled at his younger brother, but this time there was sadness behind his eyes. He waved his hand lightly in the air in a come here gesture. Sasuke rushed forward, smiling, but then pulled back too late to avoid two fingers tapping him lightly on his forehead.

"Sure thing, little brother. Now, let's get down to training, alright?" Sasuke stopped rubbing his forehead from the hit, and smiled up at his brother.

xXxXxXx

It had been two weeks since Sasuke's birthday party, and the village seemed unaffected by any of the night's interactions. To Sasuke and his friends though, the effect had been disastrous. While they were all careful to wait and meet up away from the prying eyes of the adults, the young kids were still talking about what had been discussed. Itachi was going to be a candidate for the Rokudaime Hokage, and Naruto was to be part of a political marriage.

The news about Naruto had shocked the group the most, with reactions running the gamut of emotion. Shikamaru and Choji were largely indifferent to the idea, though they both did say they hoped Naruto's eventual wife was at least cute. To their great surprise, this never got a rise out of the boy; he would simply nod and agree with them, his mind obviously far away. Sasuke and Kiba both would try to distract him from it, getting him to show off the new training exercises his parents were starting to teach him. It would work for awhile, but eventually the sad face would settle back across his features.

The girls had started to interact with Naruto less after they learned the truth from Hinata. She had been beside herself when she told them, and it had hit the three girls rather hard. Naruto was a fun guy to hang out with, and to think of him as being forced to marry just left an odd feeling in their stomachs. Still, Hinata was the first to come around and say that they should at least learn to hang out with him, even if it did hurt her the most to be near the blonde. Even now, Naruto was all she could seem to think about, despite the pain.

'He was such a great escort at that festival.' The tears were clearly painted on her face as she turned to look at the setting sun. 'Then he even snuck in to see us after we went to bed. He's such a troublemaker.' Unbidden, the tears continued in greater strength. She began to sob lightly, even as the light faded. 'Father never would have approved of such a boy anyways, even if he is the son of the Hokage.' Hiashi had talked to her after the party, revealing to his daughter that she had been discovered by the Hokage. He had gone on to remind her that one day she would be clan head, and would be forced into a political marriage of her own. Hinata began to will new tears away, trying to force them down. 'I must be strong though. Even if I can't be with Naruto, I should still be there for him.' It hurt the girl so much to look away from the setting sun, the color reminding her of the boy with which she was still terribly infatuated.

"Hinata-sama, the dinner meal is prepared. Hiashi-sama will expect you shortly." The voice of her cousin Neji came clearly through the silk screen door. Checking her reflection in the mirror quickly, Hinata rubbed at some of the worst tear tracks on her face. Soon, it looked like she was just very tired. She had been sick for the last few days, so it would hardly be surprising if her eyes were a little glassy and red.

"I'll be right there, Neji-nii-san. I just need to put on more formal wear. Tell Hiashi-sama that I'll be along shortly." Hinata turned, and pulled her nice kimono from within the closet. It was purple in color, and had matching clan symbols on the sleeves. In addition, it was patterned with the symbol of the leaf village. 'It made such a nice match with his…' Her sad thoughts got her through the motions mechanically, and before she knew it, she was kneeling at the entranceway to the main family dining area.

"Hiashi-sama, may your daughter grace you with his presence?" The repeated clan line left her lips, though she grimaced inwardly at it. She was only ever required to use this when they were going to dine with the elders of the clan, an affair which never excited her in any fashion.

"Arise, heir to the clan, and come and sit among the head of the family tree." His response was equally formal, meaning that a full gathering had been called. Hinata was sure there had been no mention of a formal meeting in the nearby future. This meant this was an impromptu meeting, and one of great enough import to summon all of the elders. A shiver ran down her spine at what this might entail.

Rising smoothly, Hinata gracefully opened the door and stepped inside. For once, she was grateful for the chance to hide her face for one extra moment, her deep bow giving her the chance to ensure her emotions were completely hidden. When she looked back up, it took all of her cultural upbringing to not gasp. In front of her was the entire assemblage of elders, her father and sister, her uncle and cousin Neji, as well as the entire family of the Hokage. The elders sat on a long table to the right of the main family table, while a second table on the left held Neji's family, along with other branch family members. At the head table, there was Hiashi Hyuuga, Hinata's father. On his left was Hanabi, with a seat open for Hinata. Next to that seat were Naruto and the rest of his family. 'Why is Naruto sitting there for a diplomatic meeting? We've always been called away whenever his dad came to visit. It must be because we overheard that conversation. I guess his father talked to him about it as well.' Hinata fought the grimace from her face, and focused on who else was present. She noticed that on the right of her father was a foreign man, with several empty seats on either side of the ninja.

"Hinata, the Hyuuga clan has been asked to host a diplomatic meeting with Kumogakure. He made a sudden request to have us host as he has heard of our clans talent. Your escort for the evening will be Naruto Namikaze." Hiashi smiled inwardly as he saw his daughter blush. 'I am sorry that you had to learn of the way of the world so young, but at least I can leave you some happy memories, my daughter.'

Her father waved her over to her seat, and the meal began quickly. Naruto and Hinata chatted amiably among themselves at first, but their discussion was limited due to the weightiness of the situation. After the opening course had been cleared, the Hokage turned to face the foreign ninja. He wore a symbol of Kumogakure, and had brown skin and a clipped goatee. "I am very glad that the Raikage would send his next in line to meet and discuss the renegotiation of the peace treaty. Might I ask though why you moved up the meeting date, and requested the meeting at the Hyuuga's?" The foreign ninja nodded at this, taking a sip of wine and wiping his face with his napkin. When he spoke, it was with an obviously practiced and cultured voice.

"To answer your first question, I had to move up the meeting date due to appointments I had with farmers in the Land of Rice Countries. Though it is a small country, it provides a large amount of the produce for my country. The harvest season is coming early this year due to the warm weather, so unless I wanted to wait until after the crop had come in, I needed to shorten my stay in Konoha." The Hokage nodded at his explanation. It was well known that the summer weather had been hotter and wetter than usual, so it made sense to move up meetings with farmers.

"As Hyuuga-sama has stated, I am also quite fascinated with the doujutsu of Konoha. I had heard that they had special prowess with divination, and with regards to problems within our village, their friendship and abilities could be very beneficial to my village." Minato frowned at this, setting his utensils down on his plate. He turned and looked curiously at the foreigner. The man, to his credit, flushed slightly under the attention and set his own chopsticks down on the plate.

"The Third Raikage wishes to make sure there is peace among our people. We had been having some severe problems with powerful missing ninja that began to finally die down about ten years. We're not quite sure where they were coming from, but it could be useful to have an ally such as the Leaf if these attacks were to resurface." The voice was even and steady. Minato knew it was all a well fabricated lie. Kumogakure had not been having trouble with any missing ninja. Rather, they had been having problems with sealing away the two tailed beast.

'Still, at least his lie was slightly convincing. If I didn't have Jiraiya's reports on the village, I might actually believe the man.' Outwardly, the Hokage appeared surprised at this report. It was common courtesy for each village to act as if they did not know what was happening in each other's backyards. "I hadn't received any reports of missing-nin from Kumogakure. Certainly, you would have informed your allies if any of them got too far from home." The Hokage chuckled lightly while looking the emissary in the eye. To his credit, the man's face showed no sign of reaction at the hidden meaning of the statement.

"Of course. We would have informed you immediately had we lost track of any of them for any length of time. Most of them hid within our village itself. It was rumored they might have even been trying to stage a coup d'état. Luckily, we managed to root them out eventually, but such sentiments still obviously remain within our village." The man's voice was as smooth as silk, and his smile could have charmed a snake. His mind was certainly circling his current predicament like one, 'Damn. I guess Konoha has more intelligence on our Jinchuuriki then we thought.'

"Glad to hear you routed them most effectively then. Well, as the hour is getting rather late, we should probably put off business for more enjoyable topics. It will help us finish our food. We can always get down to business after the meal, of course." The assembled party nodded in agreement with Hiashi's suggestion, their attention turning to the second round of fare. Hinata and Naruto ended up spending the remainder of the evening, talking about plans for the coming weeks. Naruto mentioned that he would be going on a family trip soon, and Hinata told him that she and Hanabi were going to be visiting some individuals in the capital for political reasons. Naruto had grimaced at the words 'political reasons' for a bit, but came back to his amiable self quickly enough. Soon, the night had passed the party by, and the lamp light burned low.

Kushina had ended up having to step out several times during the dinner, something with her stomach was not agreeing well. Eventually she fainted at the dinner table, and was pulled quickly aside by a medic ninja. The only ones allowed in the room were the Hokage and the medic, while a few branch members stood guard outside. A quick diagnostic jutsu revealed some happy truth to the matter; no foul play was at work. "Lord Hokage, your wife is with child." Minato's face at once was happy, but quickly became concerned once more.

"She never fainted when she was carrying Naruto, especially this early on. Will she be alright? Should I get her to the hospital, or would it be better if she stayed here?" The medic couldn't help but to chuckle lightly at the concerned man. He had faced down armies of his enemies before, yet faced with his wife's welfare made him appear once more young.

"She'll be fine, but she will need to rest here tonight. It seems her past burden might be affecting her during this pregnancy. I believe it might be affecting her chakra coils, so for now you will have to refrain from using your transportation technique." The word burden tripped over in Minato's mind, and he immediately recognized the hidden meaning.

"I'll talk to Hiashi about preparing a room for her then. We should be able to keep her safe here tonight." The Hokage looked toward the medic-nin who nodded, keeping her hand on the unconscious red-haired beauty. Drawing open the door, Minato called Hiashi aside from the dessert portion of the meal. "Hiashi, I need to ask a favor of you. Kushina isn't feeling well, and the medic thinks it would be best if she stayed here for the evening. Do you have a spare room she could use? As a matter of diplomacy, I can't stay otherwise it would be thought I manhandled the Kumo representative into bowing to my will." Hiashi nodded at this, upset at the turn of events, but willing to cede the necessity.

"She can have Hinata's room. I will ask her to take residence with your son at your house." Minato started to protest, but Hiashi cut him off by raising a hand in front of his face. "I have had a vision that there will be a terrible incident this evening involving Hinata. I would like to see her safely out of this house with those I trust to take care of her. I understand that Mikoto is watching the house in your absence tonight. I would normally never trust an Uchiha, but she and her husband seem unusually loyal to you as our leader." Hiashi still had a strange sense of foreboding about the whole affair, but put it down to old grudges against the Uchiha. "Now then, our most esteemed guest is tiring. It is time for you to make a diplomatic exit." Hiashi placed his hand on his friend's shoulder, and led him back to the dining room. As the two entered the room, Hiashi moved over to Hinata and whispered into her ear. The girl's eyes flew wide at this, and she turned to look up at her father. The man merely nodded down at her, and she turned her attention back to her food. A smile could be seen covering her face. Naruto, for his part, looked after his dad, and turned to ask a question from Hiashi. Before he could, Hiashi was already returning to his seat.

"Hokage-dono, I do hope your wife is feels better. I understand that Hyuuga-sama went to great lengths to procure my home country's cuisine, but it can be rather upsetting to those unaccustomed to the dishes." The Hokage smiled and nodded at this, glad his ally had supplied an easy excuse.

"I'm afraid it is as you say; the cuisine was not her normal fare, and she has fallen slightly ill. I do look forward though to greeting you in the morning to finalize the negotiations. I leave the details to Hyuuga-sama, my diplomat in this agreement." With that, Minato turned and bowed out of the room. He gestured towards Hinata and Naruto as he left, and the two raised eyebrows and dropped into step alongside him. Once they were outside of the compound, Minato turned towards Hinata and Naruto.

"Hinata, Naruto, both of you are going to be staying at the estates tonight with myself and Mikoto. Kushina isn't feeling well, and your dad offered your room for her to recover in, Hinata. I'm terribly sorry, I hope you don't mind me imposing on you like this…" The girl blinked once or twice but then quickly nodded her head. She had been quiet most of the dinner, even though she heartily wished to talk to Naruto. It looked like she was going to be given the chance sooner than she'd expected.

"That's fine with me. I don't mind at all. Especially if it will help Namikaze-san get better." Minato smiled at the girl before nodding.

"Naruto, I trust you and Hinata can get along well during the evening. Remember, your trip leaves tomorrow so don't stay up too late having fun." Naruto nodded his head with a puzzled look on his face. Before his son could voice his question though, Minato had teleported the three back to the house.

"I'm sorry, Naruto, but I'm needed to go over some of the diplomatic negotiations with the council tonight. You'll just have to entertain yourself with Mikoto and Hinata for the evening." In another blinding flash of yellow, Minato was gone again.

"Dang it, one of these days I'm going to learn that jutsu of his and chase him down with it!" Naruto's sudden outburst got a surprised "eep" out of Hinata, making him turn a playful scowl on her. "Well, we're here now, we might as well get a chance to hang out some. You should see the cool card game Kakashi-nii-san was teaching me yesterday." Naruto quickly reached out and dragged Hinata over to the dining room table. As he was rummaging around in the card table next to it, footsteps could be heard coming down from the stairs.

"Naruto, you finished packing up yet?" Mikoto Uchiha stood on the steps, smiling ruefully down at the pair. 'Oh Minato, if you had just waited your son would have had dozens of the girls after him. Then again, it might not be such a bad idea to get Sasuke settled into such an arrangement.' Naruto jumped at being startled, turning to look sheepishly at the elder ninja.

"I have most of it packed up, but I'm still missing a few things. Nothing I couldn't grab in the morning, you know?" Mikoto smirked down at the boy. 'His personality certainly is infectious though'. Shaking her head, the woman moved quickly over to the card table. "Well, why don't I explain the rules to Hinata while you go finish packing." Hinata chuckled with Mikoto as Naruto grumbled and stalked off to his room. "Now, if I know Kakashi, Naruto was probably going to try to play pinochle with you. I'll teach you the rules while we wait, because this game can be kind of tricky, though it's a lot of fun."

xXxXxXx

Minato appeared in the Hokage office, a familiar figure already sitting by the windowsill. Even though it had only been a week or so that he had been mentoring Itachi, the boy already was beginning to feel as important to Minato as Kakashi had been. It only made the order he was about to give Itachi that much more unpleasant.

"I understand that you have another report for me concerning Shisui and the rebel faction." The Hokage's throat was dry as he turned to his young apprentice.

"Yes. The report is concerning that matter. It appears that the rebel faction is a second attempt by my clan's founder to wreak havoc on Konoha." Minato stiffened in his chair but remained silent. "I had suspicions that Shisui was the leader of the faction months ago, but the signs became more obvious after your announcement of mentorship." Itachi turned toward the Hokage, settling down into the seat opposite him.

"Following the announcement, Shisui was less and less willing to associate with me. He stated that he was upset about my betrayal of the clan, and tried to talk me out of the training. I was angry with him at first, but moved to apologize after you asked me to investigate my friend." Itachi took a deep breath to calm himself, his nerves highly frazzled. "Earlier today I confronted him, and the two of us began to fight. I…" Itachi swallowed heavily, his voice shaking. It took a few moments for the youth to find his voice.

"I killed him, when we were at the bridge. However, after I killed him, I noticed that there was a strange seal upon his neck. I managed to copy it down, and bring it here." Itachi reached into his pocket, and pulled out a sealed scroll. "I also disposed of the evidence, and have already covered my tracks. If my guess is correct, that is an obedience and command seal. That seal needs the power of the Sharingan to activate. Lord Hokage, the only person I know who would have the power to form a seal over Shisui is Madara. Even my father fears the power of Shisui's Sharingan." Itachi's hands began to shake at this, and he looked up to stare Minato in the eyes. "Please, don't ask me to continue. I don't know how much more I can stand with lying to my clan, to my family." Minato let out a long sigh as he sat there.

"It seems that the announcement of my taking you on as an apprentice has split the loyalties of the rebellion. However, with the death of Shisui, I fear that much of the clan will begin to mobilize. I need you to gather as many of those that would strike against Konoha, and convince them to stand with you. I'm afraid that the Uchiha's loyalty to Konoha will be decided by those in the clan." Itachi looked up sharply at this, his eyes widening in surprise.

"You don't mean what I think you do, Lord Hokage? You can't! I…I'm already losing it after killing even one of my clan members, and you expect me to kill more?" Minato looked down, upset that things had progressed to this point. The Uchiha clan had been ashamed of the fact that their clan founder had tried to destroy the village. Still, it led some to question if Madara was completely incorrect.

The Hokage sighed heavily. 'I had hoped that nominating Kakashi, then moving to Itachi would weaken their base. Unfortunately, I think I waited too long to make this decision.'

"I'm asking you to gather those who are no longer loyal, because I agree with you that Madara is behind this plot. I want you to use the new Sharingan I'm sure you've become aware of, and make sure that during the fighting all of the rebels die out. You'll have to do so without blowing your cover, and manage to get close to Madara." Minato picked up the opened scroll on his desk, and set the thing over an open candle. Using his chakra, Minato made sure the whole thing burned in an instant. "I cannot express how important it is that Konoha gets an agent close to Madara. The man is determined not only to destroy Konoha, but to conquer this world. That much I learned from my brief combat with him."

Itachi shook his head, unwilling to accept what he'd just heard. His eyes hurt at the moment, and in a flash the colors before him shifted uncomfortably. It was like when he used his Sharingan, only brighter. More potent. 'This is the Mangekyo Sharingan. And to think, all it took was killing my best friend.' Itachi shuddered, his sobs sounding loudly in the room. Minato walked around the desk, and placed his hands on his student's shoulders. Itachi looked up suddenly to see the concerned face of his Hokage.

"I know this will be difficult for you. For that reason, I want you to know that I have ensured that your mother and father, along with Sasuke will be kept out of the clan compound during the fighting. Your parents will be escorting my son to a diplomatic meeting, and Sasuke will be accompanying them. It won't be the same as growing up with your family, but your actions will help to ultimately ensure their safety." Itachi nodded solemnly, looking up at his teacher with his new eyes. Minato blinked at the changed image, but smiled sadly back at the youth. "You will have to move in a day or two. There will be very little time for you to act. I have the documents here…" Minato cut off suddenly, looking down at his arm. He pulled back his sleeve, and a tattoo of a human body appeared. Itachi looked on wondering, and the Hokage turned to him with fear etched into his features. "I'm sorry Itachi, I have to go. I'll expect you to take these and act accordingly." Before Itachi could say a single thing, he was left in an office by himself. The scrolls for his mission lay before him, their dire contents looking to his keen eyes as trapping as a death sentence.

xXxXxXx

In the dead of night, a figure stole across the Hyuuga compound. The diplomat from Kumogakure knew he had very little time to accomplish his mission, but he was sure of his success. He had memorized the routes in and out of the compound, and his mission had clearly stated to capture the elder of the two Hyuuga heirs. With the stealth of a professional assassin, the man slipped silently into the room. Unfortunately for him, his intended target was not there. In her place slept a woman with dark hair, though the lack of light made it hard to identify the exact color. Grimacing, the man turned to leave. It seemed the Hyuugas' had learned of his plans. The fact that he had to fail in his mission was unfortunate, but risking an actual war would not have been acceptable. Unfortunately, as he turned to leave, an errant floorboard squeaked beneath his feet.

"Who's there?" The woman's eyes had shot wide open, and she was quickly overcoming the difficulties of the darkness. Cursing his bad luck, the shinobi quickly fired off a kunai, pausing only to check that the strike had dropped the woman dead. Leaping forward, the man retrieved his weapon before turning to leave the scene. He froze as he looked over the ghastly figure. The wife of the Hokage was lying underneath bedsheets, the kunai protruding from her neck. The shot had lodged in her windpipe, cutting off any and all sound. 'Shit. They'll want my head if I return to Kumo...Best to leave this village and go rogue. I'm not getting killed just because I had to keep my escape quiet.' The man grabbed his kunai out from the wound, and began to move towards the window he had slipped in from. A sudden whisper sounded behind him as the man jumped from the window.

Even as he was leaping away, the foreign ninja did not hear the approaching kunai until all three of its prongs had buried all the way into the back of his skull. Minato Namikaze looked at the fallen ninja from his window, and began to cry. Without a word, and without even bothering with the foreign ninja, Minato gathered his fallen wife into his arms and began to cry.

It was several moments before Hiashi Hyuuga arrived. He stood silently while the man cried for several moments, but then turned towards the Hokage. "If you want, we can begin the paperwork for a declaration of war. I was scanning the compound with my Byakugan when I saw the attack. I didn't raise the alarm, hoping to keep such an event quiet. I understand from your meetings with the council that you have several delicate operations going on that this could undermine." Minato looked up blearily from his wife's corpse, his eyes locked on Hiashi's.

"Cover it up as quietly as you can. She will pass away officially on the night that my son is to return. Until then, we will fake her presence in a hospital. And as discretely as possible, begin the letters of war to send to the Raikage." Minato's voice was thick with emotion, and though tears streamed down his face, his eyes were as hard as agates. "Don't tell Naruto. I can't have my son refusing to leave on his diplomatic meeting." Hiashi bowed, and left the man's side. Quiet sobs echoed throughout the night. Minato Namikaze did not leave the side of his wife that night, and in the morning, a different man rose from his lover's bedside.

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Fugaku stepped into the door of the Namikaze estate. As he did, he noticed Mikoto look up from a handful of cards. At the table sat Hinata and Naruto, Hinata with a smile on her face and Naruto with a frowning look. Fugaku walked over to his wife, and began to rub her shoulders. From the open doorway emerged a second figure. Naruto looked up as Kakashi walked into the home. "Sorry kids, but we're going to have to end the card games for the night. Hinata, these three are leaving early in the morning, so I'll be watching over you until you feel ready to return home tomorrow." Hinata smiled sadly but nodded. Naruto frowned, and began to put the cards away. Mikoto leaned back into the embrace of her husband and smirked up at him.

"You two have great timing. Naruto was getting close to winning again..." Fugaku chuckled, and ran his hands down his wife's shoulders. The house of the Namikaze estate, unaware of the passing of one of the heads of the household, was happy that night.

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Well, that was a bit of an emotional piece to write! Sorry about the impending angst and gloom, I assure you that the next chapter will at least have some light hearted antics between Naruto and Sasuke. It just took me some serious angst to get ready for this point in the story. This concludes the Younger Days part of the story. The next arc will concern the diplomatic meeting, and eventually lead to the introduction of new characters into Konoha. This will then lead quickly into a timeskip to academy days, leading up to the day before the final exam. Finally, as for Shisui being the rebellion coordinator, consider the following: Minato and Kushina's presence has left Fugaku and Mikoto to be much more supportive of Konoha. Because of this, the power structure shifted to the Uchiha who had the greatest power and was most loyal to the clan. Shisui's eyes were hungered after by even Madara in the manga. Shisui in turn was trusted the most by the Konoha Military Police in canon because he was so loyal to the clan. Thus, it makes sense that the rebellion leader would be Shisui in this alternate universe. Well, this should be the last set-up piece, from here on out things will start to take a much more active role. I am still hunting for a beta editor, so if you want the job or know someone who does good work, send me a personal message! I'll catch you all next time, until then read and review!


	7. Chapter 7

Before we begin, I feel it is necessary to address some of the concerns mentioned in the story reviews.

To start with: tension. I realize that the last chapter was pretty heavy on the drama, a fact that a friend had pointed out to me just that morning. It led me to change the rating of the story from teen to mature. I did this not because of any physical content that will appear in the story, but merely for the fact that they pointed out that my writing style is very gruesome and dark at points. This means that there are lots of moments of twists and turns, mostly to reinforce the negative past I am trying to create for Naruto and Sasuke. It needs to be a past that will force them into lives of duty and service far before either of them is ready. They are ninja, and I feel that a dark past will help to create the emotions and personality necessary for an actual believable youth that is capable of the destruction in which they have/will receive training.

Next up: pairings. The only for sure pairing right now is Naruto and Temari. That pairing stands, and will be continued for the entirety of the fiction. No other pairings with Naruto will take place, as, until the marriage has been official for many years, any infidelity on the part of either could end up losing serious face for either nation or village. As for Sasuke, he will be paired eventually, though at this point, the girl that will be chosen will only be picked so as to, in the long run, cause a further division between Naruto and Sasuke. The relationship will not be reciprocal, possibly on both ends for various reasons, but the fact of the matter is, it is going to be established on a temporary basis.

These were the main two concerns I heard throughout the reviews, and I'm glad that last chapter got so many new ones. It was hard for me to write, as I kept arguing about whether or not to actually kill Kushina off so early on in the story. As for her death seeming weird, and out of place with the story, well, it felt off to me as well. Keep in mind, this is my first time with a major fic, so I'm kind of in the dark on how to do this...But I made the decision and will continue with the story regardless. As for her training not helping her, or her vitality being limited, keep in mind, she did have her demon ripped out of her. In the manga she only barely survived that, so even years later, she might not fully recover. It was even mentioned in Chapter Five that 7 years after the event, she still has not returned to active duty. Does that sound like someone who is fully well? It was a really difficult decision for me to kill Kushina off in such a weakened state, but I decided to do it in the interest of leaving some tension for when Naruto returns to the village as well as to point out the limits of the Uzumaki longevity. This also will be a recurring theme later on throughout the piece, so do not think this death will merely happen and then not be discussed again. This is a story changing moment, and as such, deserves to be trailed out for all it is worth.

I do not own Naruto or any affiliated characters in any way, shape, or form. Hope you enjoy!

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**_Third Arc: Diplomacy and Treachery_**

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Day 0 of the journey

Naruto awoke before the sun had stolen across the earth and changed into his traveling clothes. His mom had been very insistent that he takes as few chances as possible, and so his outfit was very basic. He had a simple black shirt with long sleeves to go with a similar set of pants. His hair was hidden under a bandana and he wore a traveler's cloak of brown to cover his outfit and hide his hair. His father had insisted on him taking several sets of kunai and shuriken which he had hidden all over his body. The seriousness of the outfit made Naruto uneasy, as well as the fact that the adults had not told him the reason he was being sent on a mission. Naruto knew why they were going, but it bothered him that they had not revealed the intent of the mission on purpose.

Quietly exiting his room, he moved towards the spiral staircase. From across the hall, Fugaku and Mikoto nodded silently to him. Their gear was already packed up as well, though they wore the outfits of standard Konoha ninja, flak jackets strapped over basic black t-shirts and pants. As they proceeded downstairs, Naruto noticed Kakashi standing in the kitchen. A light was on, and he seemed to be reading out of a black book. The color caught Naruto off-guard; usually Kakashi's books were some bright color, and he would be giggling while reading them. This time however, his face was somber, and his eyes sad. Naruto moved to say something, but Fugaku placed a hand on his shoulder and ushered him to the doorway. They left the house behind quickly, disappearing into the night.

Before long, they were at the gates of Konoha. There were four ANBU guards positioned at the village entrance, all surrounding a much shorter individual. Naruto looked up as he began to recognize the other boy his age standing beside him. It was Sasuke! Sasuke was dressed in the shirt that Sakura had given him, along with a set of long black pants and a pair of ninja sandals. Across his back was the sword Naruto had given him, the curve of the blade fitting underneath the Uchiha clan crest. Both boys were surprised at seeing each other, but looks from the older ninja silenced them. It was not until they were far away from the village, with the sun well on its way into the sky that the group stopped for rest and a meal.

Fugaku and Mikoto made hand signs to the four ANBU guards who quickly fled into the woods. After ten to fifteen minutes, they returned and nodded as one. The masks were quickly shed to reveal the faces of Tsume Inuzuka and the adult version of the Ino-Shika-Cho formation. Sasuke was the first to turn and speak to the adults. "Why are Naruto and I leaving the village? What aren't you telling us?" Fugaku frowned at his son's outburst, but his mother smirked lightly at him.

"Look, brat, the Hokage has asked that you be added to an escort mission. While you're with us, you and Naruto here are to go through some ninja training, even though you haven't attended the academy yet." Tsume's growl at this got the attention of Sasuke. "So if I was you, I'd shut your mouth and be grateful." With that, her hands blurred in a series of symbol and a large dog appeared by her side. It was black and had a white underbelly. It sniffed the air once and turned to look at Sasuke.

"Hmm…this kid seems annoying. Can I eat him, Tsume?" Sasuke and Naruto both jumped at this, though the older ninja just smirked. "On second thought, he seems to be rather young. Maybe I'll just wait till he ripens a little." Tsume chuckled and scratched behind the wolf's head.

"Kuromaru, we have an escort mission involving these two. As such, I can't have you eating them just yet. However, we're about to make breakfast, so if you want to be really helpful you can hunt up some game." Kuromaru leaned into the head scratching before shaking his head and running off into the woods.

There was a long moment of silence as the other shinobi began to unpack and set camp up. Naruto and Sasuke were largely left out of the proceedings, the adults long since familiar with working with one another. Naruto was brewing though; he had been ignored all morning, and here his friend was on a mission that could possibly be dangerous and no one had told them anything really.

"Alright, damn it! Will someone please tell me what's going on here?" Naruto was, to say the least, pissed. Fugaku turned and cast an eye over the two boys.

"I was told that you two had managed to sneak into the meeting that the Hokage and I were having. I did not know that we would need to inform you again of the mission parameters. Now, if you wouldn't mind, could you set up your pup-tents?" Naruto and Sasuke both stared blankly at the other ninja. Naruto blinked once, his look to Sasuke confirming that his friend had also received some form of talking to about sneaking into the meeting.

"What I'm asking about is why we have to leave quietly from our own damn village!" Again, Naruto was met by a look from Fugaku, though this one was a bit more concerned than annoyed.

"There are some things about the village, and reasons for actions within it, that you will be told when you get older. That is part of being a ninja. Now, set up your tents." Brown hair turned away from the two children, but the eyes of both boys burned into the back of the man's skull.

Naruto grumbled and Sasuke began to fish around in his own bag to get out his tent. Before long, the small camp had been set up, and there was a decent portion of food cooking over a small fire. After they began to eat, Fugaku turned to the boys once more.

"Tsume already told you that the two of you would be receiving some training while we were traveling so I might as well explain that to you. The first three are really basic techniques, ones you in fact need to master to graduate from the academy. You'll be learning the clone technique, the substitution technique, and the transformation technique." Fugaku paused to take a drink of tea. "The other two jutsu are slightly more advanced, but will also come in handy. You'll learn the earth tunneling technique, which will let you move easily underground, as well as the body flicker technique. We are teaching you all of these because, as is true anytime a ninja steps outside a village, your lives are at risk." This last portion caught both Sasuke and Naruto off guard. They both swallowed heavily, their looks returning to their plates. "None of the jutsu we teach you will really be classified as offensive jutsu. Everything we teach you is to help you escape combat should we ever get drawn into a conflict that might necessitate more firepower than your guards can bring to bear. I know that may sound cowardly, but that's the way it has to be right now." Sasuke blinked at this, a look of worry contorting his face.

"But, there are six jonin here! We couldn't possibly face an enemy that could take out six jonin!" Tsume's barking laugh made the boy turn to her in anger. "There's no way an enemy ninja could take out this many Konoha warriors!" The woman's laugh cut off quickly, and her slitted eyes turned to focus on the raven.

"Any enemy can kill any warrior given the right terrain and enough time to plan. The sooner you two brats get it through your head that no one, no matter how strong, can win every fight, the easier our training will be...so, all those wonderful delusions you have about decent people winning every battle? Cut them out of your pretty little heads right now. Or that head will be rolling on the ground." Sasuke looked about to call out again, but stopped on catching a disproving glare from his father.

"Look, it's not all that bad. Everyday people's lives are in danger for a variety of reasons." Shikaku Nara sighed, leaning back and looking at the sky. "There is no escaping the fact that a Shinobi life is extraordinarily dangerous, but the point is that every life comes to an end. You two are pretty young to try to understand this, but we're actually helping to make sure you live longer by training you now." Both boys raised their heads and looked questioningly at the Nara. "Living to fight another day may not be the most honorable way to live, but we are Shinobi. Shinobi are born to kill, lie, and steal. Honor is only for those powerful enough to become untouchable. Even then, that honor is usually quickly stained. The only sure way to make sure you are a ninja of honor is to live as long as you can and pass on as much knowledge as you can, in the hopes that the next guy can live a little better life. That is the way of Konoha; to help out the next generation." Both boys had small smiles now, and the look in their eyes reflected an undying flame. Inoichi and Chouza both smirked over at their teammate. For being so lazy, the guy often knew the right thing to say.

"Thank you. I'll be ready to start after we finish breakfast." Sasuke's blunt gratitude was unexpected, bringing a smile to the older warriors. Naruto did not look up from his plate, his food disappearing quickly into his mouth. In a flash, the plate was cleaned, and Naruto was standing at the wash basin.

"Come on, Sasuke! Hurry up! We have training to get to!" Naruto's alacrity was suddenly explained as the boy seemed ready to burst with excitement. Fugaku and Mikoto chuckled at the kids, glad that they had at least gotten willing students.

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Day 0 of the Journey

A group of six crossed the harsh deserts of Suna. Five of them wore traveling cloaks and face masks, necessary to hide themselves from the desert winds. Three were merely children, though their ages varied widely. The oldest at eleven walked in the middle of the group, a newly purchased fan strapped over her back. She carried little else, but the fan was large and had a metallic frame. Though the thing was wrapped in white cloth, it was still blisteringly hot even through the bindings. The heat of the metal though could not match the blaze of anger that the young girl contained.

'The _Kazekage_ decided to have me marry!' She could no longer bring herself to use the word father. Those words were reserved for those who cared about a family. 'I can't believe the man! I'm already being asked to stay back three full years at the academy so Gaara and I will work together, and then the bastard goes and asks me to marry!' Her face was set in a scowl as she diligently placed one foot in front of the other, her eyes locked onto the horizon.

The companions that were near her age walked on her flanks. The older one wore an entire outfit in black, befitting his recent decision to become a puppet master. On his back, on top of his traveling cloak, was a similar wrapped package to his sister. It held the body of the boy's first puppet invention, Crow. His face was impassive, the emotions in his head impossible to read. The only though that ran through his head was a single word: 'Water...' Choosing to wear the black traditional outfit of the puppet apprentice of Suna on the entire journey was, perhaps, a little hardheaded of Kankuro. But, he was determined to show, that like his sister, he had something worthwhile to which he would devote his life. This suffering was nothing compared to what she was having to endure, so her younger brother bore it happily.

The other did not wear any protection from the desert, though he did carry a large gourd that might have held a substantial amount of water. His clothing was simple and of muted colors. A plain pair of black pants and a short black t-shirt made the majority of the clothing, with a brown sash running from his left shoulder down to his waist to hold the gourd in place. His skin was strikingly pale for one who hailed from Suna, and went well with his shockingly red hair and teal eyes. Around the boys eyes were dark circles, signs of his lack of sleep. The top of his forehead featured a recent addition; the single kanji character for love.

He, like his brother, held a largely unexpressive face. Inwardly though, his mind was also in turmoil. 'Temari is being made to marry. She will, like me, never know the true love of another. On top of that, it is to the son of a _kage_.' Gaara, who did not show large amounts of affection, did care deeply for his siblings. Recent events had also made him much less trusting of anyone associated with a ninja leader. 'Perhaps, she will turn to see the world as I do...perhaps she will only care for battle and blood, and will kill her husband. Then at least she could return to our family...' The concept of having another that hurt like him troubled the boy, and the howling of the wind forced his mind back to the wasteland he crossed.

The three other shinobi traveling with them did not much care for the mission, as it meant they had to be close to the demon. One of them however, Baki, did note that the children seemed to be on the same wave length an unusual amount of the time. It was this that made him view them as a possibly competent combat unit. 'I guess the Kazekage does know how to do a few things right. Still, I'm not exactly happy to be traveling with the man's demon child.' Few words were shared between the traveling group, and they did not stop to rest on the path out of the desert.

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Night of Day 1

A single man, dressed in the ANBU Black Ops standard gear, stood atop a water tower, overlooking his clan compound below. The dark hid his face from view, even as the blade held out in his hand dripped with the blood of his clansmen. 'I am glad that my family will be spared from this, though I do not know how much longer I can stand to kill my clansmen.' Itachi jumped down from the pole, his landing making no noise as he stole into the next household. This was a house of rebels, so Itachi used the line the Hokage had given him. That the planned rebellion had been discovered, and he was here to eradicate those involved. The husband made to yell out, and Itachi's kunai quickly found his throat.

He was not so fortunate with the wife, who managed to let out a strangled yell before her body fell to the ground. The kunai this time was imbedded between her eyes, buried up to the hilt. Itachi stooped to retrieve his weapon, when he heard the sounds of movement behind him. A young ninja, barely graduated from the academy, stood to face him with an outstretched samurai sword. The blade was too big for the boy, but two tomoe's of the Sharingan blazed in each of his eyes.

Itachi felt his heart rend itself once more. 'He looks just like Sasuke…' The kunai remained in Itachi's fist as he struck behind the back of the boys head. The youth dropped in an instant, and Itachi placed several seals over the boy that left him in a state of complete stasis. Leaving the house, Itachi proceeded to the next location. So far, he'd managed to find all of the rebels, and strike them down without raising an alarm. The seals of the Hokage had also managed to render the majority of the youth in a form of stasis. In his mind's darkest recesses, he found himself pleased at this accomplishment. An order to exterminate an elite clan of assassins was not given to any ninja. Fewer still of those that were given such a task would have spared the youth.

As he finished the last house, Itachi heard movement behind him and turned to face his own image. Facing him was an elaborate transformation, someone who looked as him, but whose Mangekyo Sharingan told of the difference. Whereas Itachi's was a simple pinwheel formation, the one facing him held a far more sinister shape. It was the recorded shape of Madara Uchiha. Three solid lines connected to a circle punctuated by three rings of black. The shape was unnatural, and made Itachi's blood run cold.

"I am impressed by your willingness to kill your clan members. It greatly expedited my process of eliminating the rest of the clan this evening. I must admit, I couldn't have accomplished all this without your help, Itachi-kun." The voice had started out sinister and sweet, but now changed to that of his friend Shisui. The face shifted and suddenly Itachi's deceased comrade faced him. "I must say, Shisui's eyes are quite impressive. If I did not already have the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, I would take his eyes for their powers. Surely one such as you would appreciate these eyes." The face of his friend was twisted in a terrible smile as his hands held out a simple jar. Suspended in a clear liquid were eyes that held the three tomoe's of the Sharingan. Itachi forced himself to not retch at the morbid sight.

"You've impressed me by your actions tonight. I could use someone such as you. When you killed your friend on the bridge there, your final words to him interested me. You apologized and said that you needed this power. So tell me, why would someone in need of a cursed power slaughter half of his clan?" The man's smile and calm demeanor unsettled Itachi, but his soul had already been carved enough by the night's visitations.

"If one has acquired a new power, one must know the limits it holds. I murdered my clan to test this power that I had acquired. I had to be sure that it was great enough to allow me to stand as an individual in this world." Madara at first did nothing. Then he began to laugh, a low dry chuckle that was filled with rancor.

"I like your answer. I know that you just gave up being apprenticed to the Fourth Hokage and all, but how would you like to be apprenticed to the man that should have been the First?" Madara's Sharingan had returned to normal, and it was spinning at a rapid rate.

Itachi's breath caught, but he showed no sign of apprehension. Reaching out his hand, Itachi took hold of the glass jar and brought it to his side. "I would be honored to train under the founder of my prestigious clan." Madara chuckled lightly once more, his hand coming out and clapping Itachi on the shoulder.

The devil smiled lightly at the Uchiha, "We have much to discuss then." In the dead of night, the once great Uchiha clan of Konoha had been reduced to two loyal adults and countless orphans. It would be a fortnight before any of Itachi's family learned of this fact.

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Night of Day 1

More than Konoha blood was spilled that night. A letter of war had reached the Raikage, sent by messenger summons. It detailed the true results of his diplomat's mission, and made his blood run cold. 'We have angered the man who sealed away the Nine-Tailed Fox within his own son. He will destroy us.' In the dead of night, at the top of a tower wreathed in clouds, the Third Raikage wrote out his will and prepared orders for a ceremonial sacrifice. Giving a scroll to the only worker up late with the gnarled leader, the man sighed and reached into his drawer. He pulled out a bottle of sake and a small drinking cup, along with a white handled dagger with no sheath. It was cast in the forked pattern of a thunderbolt, and the blade was black with lined patterns of bright yellow. Ignoring the cup and taking a draw from the bottle, the Raikage proceeded to his cabinet. Within the cabinet were the ceremonial robes of his office, and a set of untouched white robes. It was the second set that were lowered, and brought out into the dark recesses of the office. The Raikage brought them with him to a bathroom near his office. It was reserved for those few times that he needed a truly cold shower. The man shed his clothes, hanging the virgin cloth reverently as he prepared a hot shower, complete with powerful soaps. As soon as the water heated, the man began scrubbing at his skin with soap, removing the utmost layer of flesh with his need to wash himself of the coming bloodshed. The water poured over the man, searing his flesh like brands of fire. After what had probably been an hour, the man stepped out of the shower and donned the untarnished cloth.

A priest was waiting for him in the office, along with the entirety of the council. The presence of the untouched cloth silenced the assembled group, and the will was read over in the quietest tone by the priest. Following each deadening pronouncement, there was the slightest nod of approval from the group's leader. The night passed away quickly, and soon a pink glow could be seen on the east horizon. As a ball of fire rose into the sky, the group proceeded to a public pronouncement square atop the ruling residence.

A messenger stood at attention, reading off the final words of the great leader. Light flooded the square, the light shining into the eyes of the assembled group. The elders of the village, along with the gathered members of the Yotsuki clan were revealed in the breaking dawn. In his unstained robes, an aged man sat peacefully on a raised wooden platform. A final meal of fried rice and water had already been placed and devoured. Those gathered had left warm beds in the night, both to hear the final will of the Kage, and to gather at this ritual. No others in the village were allowed at the ceremony, which began in earnest as three lightning strikes were delivered to a pylon of wood behind the platform. The pylon burst into flames, and began to settle into the shape of a funeral pyre. The man moved aside the food, reaching down to pick a small item from the floor. As he did, the wood crackled, anticipating the coming sacrifice. The forked dagger was clutched in the man's hand, which gave not even the slightest tremble as it was raised to the man's stomach. The robe of white was opened, revealing the scarred flesh of a historic warrior. Stabbing silently into the left side of the man's gut, he pulled his hand across to his right side. Trembles began to draw down the man's arm, as blood ran in rivulets down his torso. Still, the hand was steady as it forced the blade to puncture once more, a vertical draw forming a perfect cross. As the blood stained the floor, set up in a ceremonial style, the man smiled while his body chilled. Not a word was spoken in the entire square, and not a sound was released from the kneeling figure.

'A-san, while I know you and your brother are still young, the fact that the Eight Tails rests happily with Bee means that you will serve our village well. I only wish I could live to see your reign.' The light faded from his eyes, even as the first birds began to sing of the morning air. The death poem of the Raikage admitted to his guilt for the actions taken by his diplomat, and his remaining will listed the sacrifices of the village to forestall war. Hands drawn over his face, the man covered the first tears openly shed since his days of childhood.

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Day 2 of the Journey

The sounds of chirping birds made Naruto wearily blink open his eyes. Pulling himself out of his sleeping bag, the youth donned his clothes and walked out into the morning light. He stretched muscles that were still sore from his training the other day. 'Who would have thought that darn body flicker would be so damn tiring!' Naruto made his way over to the campfire and began to arrange a small breakfast of field rations and forest fruits. Kuromaru stirred at his approach, and nudged his leg once before returning to sleep. Moments later the sound of a tent unzipping could be heard.

Sasuke walked out his tent, looking far worse for wear than Naruto. Where his friend's spiky hair helped to hide signs of bed-head, Sasuke's straight hair was prone to sticking up in odd directions in the morning. Completely unaware of how he looked, Sasuke proceeded to mimic Naruto's morning ritual before coming to a quick stop. Was that…snickering he heard? 'Naruto's stuffing his face so it can't be him.' So caught up was Sasuke in his musings that he completely missed the thick tail placed just high enough to trip him.

If Sasuke had been feeling at the top of his game, he might have managed to notice the offending appendage. As it was, Sasuke only managed to realize his predicament in time to cry out as his breakfast promptly landed on his head. The snickers at this point turned into downright raucous laughter. The source was now quite obviously Kuromaru.

"I gotta say, you Uchiha are just too much fun to mess with. I'm going to have to ask Tsume to team up with you on the police patrols more often." Sasuke grumbled about having a certain dog fixed as he scraped his face clean and prepared a second plate. Naruto was, to his credit, at least stifling his laughter.

"You could have warned me, you know?" Naruto's just shook his head, his laughter still lightly repressed.

"It was more fun to just watch you face plant on your own. Besides, it's a reminder to always be aware of your surroundings." Sasuke shot his friend a dirty look at this, and turned himself back to his plate. "Did you finish your training the other day?" Sasuke nodded his head, his mood improving as he got some food in his stomach.

"What about you? Did you finish that body flicker technique? The clone jutsu was pretty easy to figure out, but they kept making me practice it over and over…" Sasuke took a drink of his morning tea, awaiting his friend's reply.

"Yeah, but I kept having problems getting myself to travel the right distance. They kept saying that my chakra control was terrible." Sasuke smirked and nodded. His mom had been teaching him, and had said that he had great chakra control.

The two silently finished their meals and before long, the adults were up and active. Tsume appeared from behind the two and snagged her own plate before dropped beside them.

"You three are so noisy! I heard you all the way out at the perimeter while I was making my rounds." Kuromaru began to snicker again and Sasuke shot the hound a glare. The Inuzuka reached down and scratched behind the dog's ears before whacking him playfully on the head.

"I did hear a bit of commotion that sounded like someone tripping an Uchiha by the way. Kuromaru, I'd prefer it if you didn't rough up my charge." The dog whined a little, but was quickly whapping its tail back and forth as the woman once more scratched behind his ears.

"You kids better get packed up, because we make for Takigakure after today. We're going to be meeting your wife-to-be when we get there so you better be ready." Naruto and Sasuke both glanced curiously at the woman.

"We haven't finished our training yet though, we still have a bunch more techniques to cover." Naruto's face was similar to a kid being kept out of a candy shop, and it got a laugh from Tsume. It was eerily similar to that of Kuromaru's chuckle.

"We'll be training you brats on the road, so you better get used to being tired like yesterday." Tsume barely managed to restrain her laughter as she watched the two kids look at her in disbelief. "Takigakure is closer to Konoha than Sunagakure, so we can take our time and make sure you kids are really ready to be in the outside world. Just remember, you can't show off these skills at the academy, otherwise the other kids will think you two are a bunch of showoffs." The two boys still shared a look of wary disbelief, but there was a bit of a competitive smirk on their faces. 'Jeez, these two might end up being worse than Kakashi and Gai at this rate.' Before long, the others had joined them for breakfast, and the camp was quickly torn down. The clearing was made to look like no one had ever stayed the night. As they began to head out, Naruto and Sasuke both shared a smirk as they leapt into the trees.

"Well Naruto, looks like we finally get to meet your one true love, huh?" Sasuke jeered at his friend, pulling ahead of him for a brief moment.

"Shut up! All I hope is that she's not completely crazy like Shikamaru's mom." Shikaku face faulted a couple of feet back, and his teammates snickered at his friend's expense.

"If you two snacks have the energy to joke, you have the energy to move faster." Kuromaru nipped lightly at Sasuke as he breezed past the two kids. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and put on a burst of speed, determined to catch the cheeky mutt.

xXxXxXx

I think I'm going to end the chapter here this time. I could keep going, but the transition makes more sense to split into separate days. I had to include the angst and drama in this chapter, and if you are wondering, that was a specific type of ceremonial death that is normally reserved for samurai. I figured that, as leaders of the hidden villages, the Kage's would be able to claim an equal level of ceremonial sacrifice. As for Itachi, he is now in league with Madara, and has no need to push Sasuke to save his clan as he decided to spare the youth of the Uchiha clan. The stasis seals were part of the list of jutsu that Minato taught him, so that the death toll need not climb nearly as high. Madara however, was likely not as merciful. This is just one instance of slight changes having large affects that have been introduced to the manga progression. Much of the Naruto universe will remain the same, but I'm making a few decided alterations. If you notice, Madara had Shisui's eyes, meaning Danzo will never get a chance to implant them into his arm (Which is downright freaky by the way!). Other slight changes, as I'm sure some have started to notice, is the fact that Naruto is not openly sharing his thoughts and feelings with anyone. He has learned to keep his feelings to himself, and will open up somewhat in the next chapter. There will be more progression, much of which will lead to the relationship between Naruto and Temari. Anyways, this is all until next time, so I'll see you all in a week. Yes, unfortunately, break comes to an end this Monday, so there will be an update only once a week from now on, I am sorry to say. As always, read and review!


	8. Chapter 8

To start with, I have noted a some reviews mentioning something called the CRA, or Clan Restoration Act. I have done some fact checking, and discovered that this is part of fanon, and not canon. As such, I will not be following the tradition of the CRA in my story. Sorry, but my universe does not follow that philosophy. Also, would like to give a nod to a few good reviewers once more, namely Rixell Stryfe. Dude, you continue to help me form this story as I go, so thank you for your good comments. Forsaken Visage, your comments are also inspiring for me, and give me hope that even if I do take actions others might not agree with that my story could still stand on its own merits. This chapter is coming to you early because I got a break with classes being mostly syllabus hand outs for this week. Should be able to still get you all the next one by this monday too, if I'm lucky on the no homework count. That being said, I bring you the next chapter!

I do not own Naruto or any affiliated characters in any way, shape, or form. Hope you enjoy!

xXxXxXx

**_Third Arc: Diplomacy and Treachery_**

Day 2 of the Journey

Minato tried very, very hard to not crumple the scroll message he had just received. It took every ounce of his nerve to not destroy the offending slip of paper. The reverse summon scrolls only allowed official documents to travel between the offices of a Kage, and were blood sealed so only the current Kage could open them. It had a seemed a great method for allowing the leaders of the five great villages to remain in contact with one another, but at the moment, Minato wished to destroy his creation. The scroll had appeared in an instant, and with it returned the pain of Kushina's passing. The corners were already damaged, and his control finally snapped when he noticed a single tear had fallen to stain the page. With a shout of anguish he hurled the paper up against the wall, and collapsed onto his chair. With his hands pulling back his hair, he struggled very hard against the tears that were fighting to pour forth.

'It's not fair. The bastards don't deserve my mercy, but I damn well am forced to give them that very thing.' On the floor lay the crumpled remains of a surrender to war without conquest, and with offered up terms that were beyond generous. Over a dozen shinobi and kunoichi each, along with all of their expertise, were being offered under seals of loyalty. The twelve of each gender were split up in groups of three jonin, three special jonin, and six chunin. It was easily over half of the village's war forces. On top of that, there was the promise of a fully trained Jinchuuriki, one who was quite skilled and able to train other demon containers. The offer was more than generous. It was also a matter of politics. Each ninja village that had a peace treaty agreed to certain concessions. One was the willful weakening of a village in return for promises of an armistice or halt to any military action. If any one nation broke such an agreement, they would thereby break all other peace treaty agreements that had been formed with other nations. It was an idea Minato had soon after taking office, in an attempt to allow for greater peace between the nations.

The leaf village was probably strong enough to take on Kumogakure, if only for the sheer differences in the number of ninja available. The other weapons, including the chakra blade of the Hokage, could definitely aid in a direct confrontation. The only problem was that the Third Raikage had liked Minato's suggestion so much that he had implemented it with every treaty the leaf had with them, along with many other countries. If Minato did not side with Kumogakure, he would invite the wrath of both the Snow Village and the samurai of the Land of Iron. That level of military force was something Konoha just could not compete against. There would be nothing left of Konoha if he attacked, and there would be nothing to build for Naruto's future.

'They took Kushina though…I should refuse the terms and burn the place to the ground.' Even as the murderous thoughts left his mind, Minato felt a ghostly presence lay a hand on his shoulder. Turning quickly at the sensation, Minato found himself glancing out over the village. Even as he looked over the people, the afternoon sun outlined his reason for mercy. There were children in the street that he could see, children still without parents because of the demon fox attack. Sighing, Minato pinched the bridge of his nose and held back the impending sobs.

'I won't have my family kill anymore of the villagers or create any more orphans. We are still not at full strength after the demon fox attack, so I cannot risk such a battle.' Grimacing, and still fighting back his tears, the Hokage stooped with an age much greater than his years and picked up the scroll. He carefully signed his signature on the document, each stroke feeling a betrayal to his wife's memory. 'Kushina, forgive me. Naruto, please, understand why I have to do this.' Minato sealed the scroll once more just in time to hear footsteps approaching his door.

"Come in." The familiar face of Hiashi Hyuuga and a bedraggled looking medical ninja walked into the room. Before turning to look at his guests, Minato placed the sealed scroll on the reverse message summon, and sent the item back to the murderous village. As he raised his eyes, he took in the figures and set his face into a stern front.

"Hokage-sama, we have taken care of the matter that you requested. It has been handled and will have the highest level of security." The Hokage nodded briskly, sensing that there was more to this visit. "The ANBU have come across some other mischief that occurred last night. As such, we are sealing one of the clan compounds until Nara Shikaku can return to investigate the matter. A large suppression seal has thus been placed around the Uchiha clan area." Minato once again nodded, though his eyes were much harder at this point.

"Are there victims that need to be taken care of currently, Hiashi-san?" Minato prayed inwardly that the seals had gone according to plan, that at least some of the clan had been spared. His face though was aloof, seemingly unconcerned with the event. The secret operations that had occurred during the last war in Amegakure had recently come to light, and had Minato doubting anyone these days, including his friends. Many of the operatives were of the branch family of the Hyuuga, so with Hiashi there was at least a decent reason for concern. The aloof face, combined with the hard glare, made Minato seem like the true representative of those who did not favor the Uchiha.

Hiashi's eyes narrowed at the seeming lack of care from the man in front of him. This was not the man he had known to take the position of leadership several years prior. His change in demeanor also made little sense, as the Fugaku and Minato were known to have patched up their relationship recently. ' He must be blaming me for the loss of his wife then…' Hiashi stiffened at this, a glare settling over his features. 'Then again, the loss of Hana did terrible things to me as well. It could be that he is blaming my family for causing the incident.' Letting the glare pass from his own features, Hiashi shook his head in the negative. Minato made no outward change in appearance, but the seeming denial caused him to exude a more questioning air.

"All signs point to an internal conflict within the Uchiha clan, though the reasons for such a conflict currently remain circumspect. I am rather surprised by this myself, Lord Hokage, as I had heard no rumors about such a possibility." Minato's blue eyes pierced into Hiashi, searching for the truth of the matter. Tension built in the room for several long moments, before the Hokage nodded for the clan head to continue. "A number of children though were placed in a state of heavy stasis, though they seemed to have suffered relatively little damage. Those children are currently under guard at the village hospital, and have not yet been awoken. All the other clan members seem to have been killed off entirely, though there were also some elder members that are in a similar stasis." The Hokage nodded once at this, before reaching into his desk and pulling out a sheet of writing paper. Scratching out a quick set of orders, the Hokage held out the sheet to the medical ninja.

"That should tell you what to do to take care of the children. They will need to be questioned fully by Ibiki-san, though no aggressive measures are to be used on the children. Understood?" The man nodded, and quickly was reading over the written instructions. Minato glanced over Hiashi again, and was pleased to see the confused expression on his face. Ninja were trained at hiding their emotions, but Minato was known for being perceptive. What he saw now eased his mind greatly; Hiashi had reacted to the changing moods of the Hokage in a fashion that showed he knew little of the internal conflicts of the Uchiha, a fact that members of that secret ANBU group would certainly be aware. 'That just means that the ring leader is another member, possibly one on the council or in a similar position of power.'

A sigh escaped Minato, and he turned his chair around to look out at the village. With a tired movement, the blonde haired man stood to his full height. A weight seemed to settle onto his shoulders, and the man straightened himself under the burden. Eyes alight with passion turned back to face Hiashi. "Thank you for the help in these matters today, Hiashi-san. I will go and inspect the seal work at the Uchiha clan at once, then return to the office to fill reports for the day. Tell the council that we will need to meet in around two week's time." In a flash, the blue eyes had faded from sight, and the office was empty of its master.

xXxXxXx

Night of Day 2 of the Journey

Baki looked over the face of his fellow jonin as they sat gathered around a fire. He had known Isago for a number of years, the two having trained together in wind based nature manipulation. It was for this reason in fact that both men wore the signature turban of wind manipulation for their village. It was a symbol of having mastered both the bladed weapons of the desert, the falchion, but having further gained mastery over the wind that could carve such similar patterns. The turban was in fact a representation of the first Kazekage, who was said to have carved out the village in the rock range. He was said to have lost the right side of his face in the process, and forever wore a turban on that side of his head to hide the scarring. The turbans were now given out to wind users who mastered their element to such a level as to be able to mimic the power, if not the control, of the Shodaime.

The other jonin wore basic garb of Sunagakure, and had a smooth and young face. Short brown hair, combined with a lanky appearance, gave the impression of a chunin becoming jonin to soon. That was exactly the reason that Baki feared his ally. Those that made jonin in Suna were known for being able to deserve the title; if this youth appeared to not be dangerous, it in fact meant he was probably more deadly than either of his counterparts. Mukade was a complete unknown to either of the other two men, though he had stated that he worked in medicine and genjutsu. He also appeared to be a favorable cook, having volunteered to do much of the cooking for the trip. Baki smiled, remembering the meals that had been prepared for them thus far; they all had delicious spices, and seemed to be far above standard fare for a ninja mission. Still, the current campfire was for more important business than dining.

"In another day or so, we will enter the territory of Amegakure. There has been little news from that area in the past few years, though it is rumored that there is still a civil war going on at the moment. We are to remain as removed as possible from any internal village conflicts, and continue to our destination. As such, we will not be stopping for anything more than short rest breaks and six hours of nightly sleep during the remainder of the trip." Isago nodded at this, but Mukade grimaced, and looked questioningly at Baki.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea? There are bound to be a number of operatives stationed outside the village, searching for suspicious agents. A group of six individuals, moving quickly across country lines, is sure to draw some attention…" Mukade inwardly was cursing. 'Damn it, I'm supposed to meet up with Sasori in two days…he said that the group would be ready to go ahead with the plan without me, but Master Sasori hates to be kept waiting…'

Baki nodded in acquiescence to this point, but then shook his map once more in the flickering light. "The straightest route to the Waterfall Village is through the Land of Rain and Land or Grass. We are going to of course alter this route slightly, taking the route near the border of the Land of Fire, and proceeding from there. Still, passing along the border at high speeds is sure to draw attention to our group. However, we have to make the meeting date while taking the safest route to our destination." Baki drew his finger along the slim border the group would be following. "The Land of Fire claims these areas as their borders, though they are known to be only moderately enforced. As such, we are bound to draw attention from slightly less questionable groups." Baki then tapped at a small point highlighted on his copy. "There is an outpost where we will meet up with a group that is set to sweep along the border. They should escort us through the land of rivers, and will drop us off at the border with Rain country. From there, we will travel as fast as possible directly north. That means we should, at most, only touch the border of Rain for a day." The others nodded at this, quickly highlighting the outpost location on their own maps. "We'll resupply at the outpost and rest up for a night there. Then, we make for Waterfall before first light."

xXxXxXx

Day 3 of the Journey

Temari looked sullenly down at the blue pill in her hand. It was small, fit into the palm of her hand, and was part of a package that her father had sent her with for the escort mission. She hated looking at the item, and wished to chuck it at a wall. Instead, she grasped her flask, full of water, and popped the pill in her mouth. Water followed the bitter medicine, washing down her throat in loud, thirsty gulps.

After living in the desert for her whole life, the existence of a place like the Land of Rivers was quite astonishing. There was water everywhere, and Temari found herself guzzling as much of the normally rare and expensive item as much as possible. Sunagakure was built around an oasis, but the water was closely monitored and restricted. Free access to the liquid was unheard of, and she honestly could not drink enough of the blessed reprieve.

However, the damned blue pills were a dampener to her good spirit. They were a reminder of why she was in this foreign land and what sort of future she faced. A single tear stained her knee, and the girl's breath hitched in her chest. Pulling on all of the willpower she had, the tears were forced downward, even as the girl's thoughts spiraled back to when she had become aware of her impending misery.

_Temari hesitantly opened the door to her father's office. The man was never around the family much, and after her mother's death, the enigmatic parent had only grown more reclusive. 'Some of the only memories that I have of the man are the times when he would fly into a rage against Kankuro or myself for failing to live up to his expectations…though he never yells at Gaara. He doesn't even notice him, and he keeps Kankuro and I away from him.' Temari grimaced at this, pushing the door open fully as she walked into the Kazekage's office. _

"_Academy Student Temari Sabaku reporting to the Kazekage, sir." Temari stood as straight as she could for an eleven year old, fixing her face in a schooled mask of emotionless reserve. The man across from her grunted, his robed figure seated behind a desk of mahogany, extraordinarily expensive in the desert. _

"_You are late. I hate to be kept waiting, __**student**__." Temari bowed in deference at this, staying in the respectful position until she got her face under control again. A brief explosion of anger had flashed across her face, outraged to be addressed as such by her own father. _

'_It's for appearances. His secretaries are right outside, and they would not miss any chance to report disrespect towards him to the council.' The head of the Sabaku family had taken over the title of the Kazekage during the last great ninja war, usurping it in a sudden takeover. The move helped to bring the war to a premature end, allowing for Suna to forge a lasting armistice with Iwa. Still, the hold that he had won was tenuous, and her father had missed no chance to impress the nature of his reign on his children. He pushed them to be as strong as possible so as to solidify his continued leadership. _

"_Rise. I have much to discuss with you." Temari heard shuffling papers as she raised her head up to look her father in the eyes. The man ran a hand over the desk, and then pushed a large amount of chakra out into surrounding air. A strange feeling settled over Temari's ears, immediately informing her of a silencing seal. Cold sweat trickled down Temari's neck; those seals were reserved for serious missions and political decisions. Her presence here did not bode well. _

_Her whole life, Temari had been raised with the education befitting the daughter of a Kage. It included advanced training, even at a young age, along with the cultural upbringing of high society. The most discussed topic was political marriages. The daughters of Kage's were often married off to allies to ensure stability. They were more likely to be married off to enemy's though, in an effort to forestall war. _

_Temari's eyes settled on the documents in front of her as she lowered herself into a seat facing the Kazekage. The documents were outlined in the fashion of official statements of matters of state. The lower portion was embossed with a signature from Konoha. For a second Temari lit with hope at the sight. There had been rumors of ambassadors being formed between the villages. 'Could he have found a way to keep me out of a political marriage?' Temari smiled inwardly at the thought, bringing her focus onto her father as he settled into the seat across from her. _

"_Temari, this document details an arrangement between the Leaf Village and Sunagakure. The Leaf has been a long time ally of ours, and many feel it has come time that we begin mending the wounds of the last war by offering trades between our villages." Temari brightened. 'I knew it! He's making me an ambassador to the Leaf Village.' The man across from her adjusted the papers, handing them over to his daughter. Her face was still set in a neutral mask, though the tug of a slight smile could be seen at the corner of her mouth. "That is why you have been chosen for an important responsibility. As the daughter of the Yondaime, you will serve as the Sunagakure candidate in a political marriage." Temari's neutral expression cracked, shattering into a conglomeration of both shock and dismay. _

"_What? But, I had heard that there was going to be an ambassador program between the villages! That this tradition was going to be done away with!" Temari's voice was hysterical, pain lacing every word. 'I had thought that it was something you were going to do away with'. Temari clutched the papers in front of her, mumbling to herself._

"_Calm yourself!" The shout cut off the girl, bringing a halt to her degenerating state. "That was discussed by the council, but this decision has been in the making since almost as soon as I entered office. I had no power over the council in this matter." The man in front of her straightened, a great weight seeming to settle onto his shoulders. "You are going to be marrying the son of the Fourth Hokage, Naruto Namikaze. His profile is in the folder with those files." _

"_The Hokage agreed to marry his own son?" Temari didn't look at the files that were handed to her, demanding an answer from her father. Her teal eyes were glazed over with tears, and her whole body shook with emotion. _

"_He did. He also tried to establish the ambassador program in an attempt to forego the wedding. However, recent activities in the village forced the abandonment of the project, at least for now." The Kazekage reached out and opened the folder, flipping to the documents from Konoha. Much of it appeared to be written in the wording of lawyers, but her father tapped out a certain spot on the document. "The ambassador program will be started though, and the two to create and maintain the program between the villages will be you and Naruto." Temari rocked back at this, looking her father in the eyes clearly for the first time during the meeting._

_Temari glanced over the documents, and looked up at her father in question. "The boy is only eight years old. That's not old enough for a political marriage. Why am I being called here today?" The grim look came over her father once more as he turned to look at Temari. _

"_He is in fact seven at the moment, though he will turn eight before the end of fall. You will be meeting him though for a treaty signing, and for a chance to show our allies the face of Suna and Konoha's future. The actual marriage will not take place until the boy is at least sixteen." The Kazekage leveled a probing look at his daughter. "Are you aware of any changes in your brother, Gaara?" Temari blinked, thrown by the change in topic. The Kazekage continued, without pausing for a response._

"_Your brother's recent actions have garnered undue distrust from the council. Again, I am forced by the advice of the council to deal with the matter against my wishes. He will accompany you first to Takigakure, where a treaty will be signed between all three of the villages. Then, he will accompany you to Konoha to have his seal inspected and improved by the Fourth Hokage. Normally, such a request would not be possible between the villages, for fear of upsetting the balance of power. The treaty signing though gives us a unique opportunity to get the expertise of another village in the matter." Temari nodded throughout all of this, a small smile daring to cross her lips once more. _

"_Thank you father, for doing what you can to help both Gaara and myself." The man across from her rose, leveling a look of anger at her. Temari shrank back from the look, wondering what she said to insult._

"_I did not think the ambassador program would work Temari. I voted against the idea from the first time it was suggested. I also did not want Gaara to gain the help of the Fourth. Both of these things put us in debt to Konoha. You would do well to think of matters more clearly in regards to the wellbeing of your village, __**student.**__" The girl wrenched to the side as if visibly struck. The glare of her father silenced the protest on her lips. Temari grabbed her documents, silently turning and leaving the room. She missed the words of her father as she left, as they were uttered so only the old man could hear. "I wanted Gaara to become strong on his own, to forge his own destiny. And I wanted you my daughter, to have a life far away from the conflicts your mother and I faced…" _

Within the documents given to her that day had been a subscription of pills, designed specifically for diplomatic missions. They consumed some of her chakra in a process that purged her body of all ailments and poisons. However, they did not protect against any future chemical assaults. They also would purge the body of foreign scents, and protected against pregnancy and many weaker sexual diseases. The instructions inside had explained the meaning behind the pills, and a note had been included without a name. Temari did not know who had written the note, but she suspected it was her _**father**_ that had left the message.

"_Eight years is a long time to wait. I hope these help you have at least some good memories…"_

xXxXxXx

Day 4 of the Journey

"No, no, no, and a hundred times no!" An angered Fugaku Uchiha walked forward and glared angrily at Naruto. "I don't know how many times I have to tell you, but when you perform the transformation jutsu, you should be using genjutsu, not ninjutsu!" Naruto frowned, obviously at his wits end as well.

"I'm telling you, I can't do that stupid genjutsu stuff. It just doesn't work for me, you know?" Naruto was tired and frustrated. For the last hour, he had been trying to master the simple transformation technique and was meeting with decided difficulty. The body flicker and the earth tunneling techniques had both been easy enough for Naruto to master. But the third day of training had finally found a road block for him in the transformation technique.

"Look, I think I'm just not going to be able to get this across. I'm going to go see if I can get Shikaku, he might be able to better manage your training." Naruto just scowled at the man, and transformed himself once more into the image of a lazy Shikamaru.

"Until you get back I'm just gonna sit back and relax. I'm fairly certain that I've got this trick down, genjutsu or not!" The look alike had even managed to imitate the relaxed drawl of his friend, wearing the same kimono that he had weeks ago during the festival. Fugaku let out a snort of dissent, but left the boy to his activities. In a swirl of leaves, the Uchiha leader stood in front of the infamous genius member of the terrible trio.

"That kid has more chakra then sense, Shikaku. I've been trying to teach him the transformation jutsu, but he just seems to be creating a detailed chakra shell over the top. I don't know what to call the jutsu, but the chakra seems familiar to your shadow manipulation techniques."Shikaku heard all this, but he was busy studying the shapes and patterns of the clouds in the sky. Little known to others, the Nara clan was not just made of lazy cloud watchers, but actually skilled cloud readers. While the skill was not a terribly powerful form of divination, it could serve to give the Nara's some insight into affairs both near and far.

At the moment, the clouds were giving some rather dire portends. The sky, while full of white clouds, painted a pattern of bloodshed between here and Konoha. The meaning was muddled, but Shikaku was greatly afraid of the images intent. A foot nudged his shoulder, and it brought a start to the man. He had been absorbed in deciphering the intent of the heavens, and had come to some conclusions. The clouds told of both blood recently spilled, and of great travesty. Hints at future battles, possibly soon or many years from now, were also painted across the horizon. Sensing a stronger kick about to land on him, the reclined man did a kip up to his feet.

"I heard you Fugaku. I'll go take a look at what the kid's doing wrong, but I got to tell you, a Hyuuga would be better for this than me. In the meantime, tell Chouza and Inoichi to tighten up the security tonight. I sense something foul on the wind." Fugaku stiffened at the statement, and nodded once. In a swirl of leaves, the clearing stood empty of both inhabitants.

xXxXxXx

When Shikaku entered the clearing, he could barely repress a smile of fondness. There, on the grass, lay the spitting image of his son. The boy seemed to be staring up at the clouds, his hair back in its typical ponytail. 'Still, he's not watching the clouds, he's just napping. Guess I'll have to teach the kid about why we do that someday.' Shikaku shook his head, and using the shadow-step technique, moved quickly over to where Naruto was lying on the ground. One benefit of the technique was that it was utterly silent.

"So…" In a flash Naruto was wide awake, a kunai appearing in his hand and the jutsu disappearing completely. "…first thing is that we need to work on your awareness training later." Naruto blinked once, and then tucked the kunai away, looking warily at the older man.

"Now then, I want you to demonstrate the transformation jutsu one more time for me. I want to watch you mold and create the jutsu in your own fashion, and then I'll determine whether or not it's adequate." Naruto nodded, and then stood up once more. He carefully molded his chakra and placed his hands in the proper seals, but as he channeled the chakra, Shikaku noticed something important.

'He molds the chakra elements of Yin and Yang like a clan jutsu. Still, at the moment, the Yang chakra is completely overpowering the Yin. I wonder why that is…' Shikaku's eyes narrowed as he looked close at the chakra trails that were emanating from Naruto. They seemed remarkably similar to those that Kushina were known to be able to create. "Naruto, keep molding the chakra, but focus less on the jutsu itself. Form it into the first shape that springs to mind, alright?" The boy blinked, but redoubled his efforts. 'Just like I thought, very little Yin chakra is needed to give a basic shape, but so much Yang chakra is being pushed out that the jutsu creates a physical shape.'

In mere moments, the chakra had started to form visible outlines behind the child. They took the form of chains, and began to wrap themselves around one another, coiling at the child's feet. 'It's like I thought, Kushina's abilities are a clan-based kekkei genkai. It might be that she was the first. Regardless, it's similar to the Nara clan jutsu, so shadow based techniques should be particularly easy for the kid'. Shikaku looked up from his musings in time to catch Naruto falling backward, the chakra chains quickly fading. Shikaku blinked once or twice before chuckling lightly to himself.

"Guess he's still got a while to master using that ability of his. Still, it could make a seriously powerful asset to the village to have another kekkei genkai like the Nara clan." Shikaku talked to himself as he stooped and picked up the kid. 'You're going to be an interesting one to keep an eye on, Namikaze.' Loading the kid onto his back, Shikaku leapt back towards the campsite. As they leapt through the trees, Naruto rested peacefully on the older man's back.

xXxXxXx

Night of Day 4 of the Journey

Mukade smiled, slipping through the outer perimeter of the outpost guard. The enforcement along the country outpost for the Land of Rivers was so easy to slip past, especially since there was no longer any ninja village protecting the country. Takumi village had been relocated around six years ago in an agreement with Konoha and Takigakure. It had left the land of rivers with no serious military force, but they did have the full protection of Konoha forces that were stationed for peacekeeping. Suna had been informed of the deal, and would regularly send their own forces to inspect the work of Konoha. The outpost they were at currently though was staffed only by samurai. The country had apparently responded to losing its ninja village by turning and spending far more on infrastructure and samurai. Still, samurai were no challenge to evade for a ninja.

Landing in a small clearing, Mukade reached into a pouch at his side and pulled out a single summoning scroll. From it, a simple crow emerged and blinked at Mukade. It appeared as a simple crow, with no extraordinary features save for its eyes. Its eyes were a bright red, and three black tomoe spun inside of the creature. Mukade stepped back as the crow began to caw, once, twice, and three times. On the third cry, the mouth opened wide and a tall man appeared beside a short squat one. The shorter one wore a hat to cover his face, and the taller had an orange mask with black flames scattered across the front. Both wore cloaks of pure black with red clouds darting across the surface. A metal tail twitched from underneath the coat of the squat one, darting forward to place itself at Mukade's throat.

"You had better have a decent reason for nearly making me wait…" Mukade felt sweat roll down from his forehead before running into his eyes. The jonin did not blink at the pain, but continued to stare at the threat to his life. The taller man reached out and placed a gloved hand on the mechanical tail. Mukade watched in surprise as the tail retracted.

"Sasori, you know that we have a mission to complete here. I will not tolerate killing a contact so easily." The tail twitched once, pressing hard against Mukade's throat before retracting.

"Yes, I know. Master." The last word was almost a curse as it fell from the Sunagakure legend. "Have you accomplished what we asked of you, Mukade? Are the entirety of the escort party successfully weakened?" Mukade nodded quickly, not daring his voice. "Good. Hidan and Kakuzu will meet up with you in three days time in Takigakure. We will want you to ensure the defeat of the entire party on your own, but the final capture of the Jinchuuriki can be left to our members. In return, we will welcome you as a member into Akatsuki." Sasori twitched his tail again, this time lashing out and scaring the earth behind him.

"Let's get going. I don't want to spend any more time talking to someone from my cursed village." The taller man seemed to stare at Sasori, before turning back to the crow. In an instant, the crow had opened its maw, and the two had disappeared from sight.

Mukade let out a breath. He had not noticed quite how tense he had been during the exchange, but now that the other two were gone, he was shaking with fear. A few deep breaths restored his calm, and the man fled back into the night.

xXxXxXx

Day 5 of the journey

"Alright Sasuke, that's enough of a rest. Pick up your sword again; we've got more training to do." Tsume's growl set the young boy on edge, who grimaced and pulled his sword from the sheath on his hip. Kuromaru bared a feral grin towards Sasuke. If the dog found teasing Sasuke amusing, training him was a straight riot.

"Even though you got those other jutsu down a lot faster than Naruto, your reserves are still pathetic in comparison. And kenjutsu training is the best way to develop those abilities. This is why we'll be doing this, every day." Tsume's grin was somehow even worse than her ninden, her entire mouth seemingly full of sharp canines. "Aren't you so happy you finished up early?" Sasuke began to form a retort but was quickly bringing his blade up in a front guard. The force of the woman's blade forced him to step back under it, and she quickly pushed him aside. Kuromaru was instantly upon him as he fell back, and the boy's own image flickered as he moved to engage with Tsume once more. The attack was easily predicted and the two opponents flipped into the air, spiraling towards him in a devastating attack. Cursing, Sasuke's form once again flickered out of existence. He came to rest fifteen feet away, panting heavily.

'Damn, looks like I don't have the chakra to use that anymore. Guess from here on out, it's luck and guts…' Sasuke spit a wad of phlegm from his mouth, and brought a hand across his face. As he did, he noticed Tsume charging him once more, Kuromaru having vanished from sight.

Sasuke dodged to his left, bringing the blade back in for a stabbing thrust. As he did, Tsume flickered in front of him, and Sasuke felt his jab hit air. A heartbeat later and Sasuke felt the press of cold steel against his neck. "I finally get a chance to get some of your blood it seems." Tsume's laugh rang in the clearing as her blade slowly drew along Sasuke's pulsing neck…only for him to disappear in a puff of smoke as he was replaced by a log.

A blade's shadow fell across Tsume's face, and she jumped quickly to the side and brought a blade up to block the follow up slash to her torso. The more experienced fighter smiled lightly as the Uchiha rained down blow after blow. There was a definite fierceness to the boy's attack, but he was missing the finesse of years of training. Kuromaru jumped in from the sidelines, dodging around the bow's attacks, and forcing him on the defensive.

Sasuke began to growl, and in a brief flash his eyes turned bright red. A single tomoe appeared in his eyes, and Tsume for the first time felt a bit of fear. The boy's thrusts came faster, and were much more on target. Slashes that were missing Kuromaru completely began to nick the dog, shaving off some fur in the process. The dog growled back, and jumped to the side, leaving his master to fight.

Tsume moved to engage the boy, but found herself frustrated with the combat. The kid was copying her moves, slowly but surely. His stance adjusted quickly, compensating for what would have been hours of training in a single moment. Even with only a single tomoe in each of Sasuke's eyes, his battle improvement was remarkable. 'If I don't end this soon, he might actually score a blow against me…the brat is going down now.' Feral light lit the Inuzuka's eyes as she parried another thrust from the Uchiha. A rain of successive blows came with the parry, but Tsume withstood them all. Quickly pushing back against Sasuke's assault, Tsume found herself smiling fully for the first time while training the youth. Her last attack had ground against the boy's blade, and the more experienced warrior deftly wrested the blade from the youth's hand and pointed her blade at her opponent's exposed neck.

"You managed to activate your Sharingan before entering the academy. Perhaps Minato was wrong about his choice of Itachi." Tsume grinned with a pleased look on her face. She was proud of the boy for giving her a slight fright.

"I…activated my Sharingan?" The boy was panting heavily, and seemed to be shaking all over the place. The smile of disbelief though was the happiest she had ever seen on the boy. Tsume nodded once to Sasuke, whose smile grew before he immediately collapsed on the ground.

"Perhaps the Fourth did not choose incorrectly. You should take the pup back to camp, and catch a bath yourself. You have a slight odor of fear about you." Kuromaru looked up haughtily at his master, who flared her nostrils at her companion.

"It was the fear of being harmed in battle. I am glad that he got to push me to this point. It means that he might stand on his own when we meet the sand shinobi. I hope things go well, Kuromaru. The Nara has scented danger in the clouds." Tsume stooped, picking up Sasuke and his blade like sacks of potatoes.

Kuromaru silently moved beside his master, nudging his nose against her leg. "You two legs worry too much. Whatever it is, these kids will be at least ready to survive the danger." Tsume grinned and rubbed behind the dog's ears.

'I hope you're right, Kuromaru. For all of our sakes…'

xXxXxXx

Well, that's all for this week. Sorry, but next week will be more background development (not filler, but close to it). This will be followed by at least two chapters of combat interactions, so hey, there is a plus hidden in here somewhere. I'll try to spice it up with some combat and cameo appearances here and there.

Kushina's death, along with the ramifications it has for the village will be expounded over time, as you saw with the opening part of the chapter. As for why Minato has done so many of these things, he was a student of Jiraiya's, and thus inherited Jiraiya's dream as well; of bringing peace through understanding and communication. Minato has thus used his training in sealing to both ensure the well being of his village, as well as to promote the interaction and communication between other groups.

In a nod to the need for explaining the Kekkei Genkai system, and how they avoid inbreeding, I would like to note that the Uchiha massacre will be used to go a long way towards explaining that.

Before I leave you till Monday, I just want to mention that I have an awesome beta, Lazruth, and that this story now has over 100 alerts on it. I am so floored by this, thank you all so much for your support, and great comments. Until next time, read and review!


	9. Chapter 9

I do not own Naruto or any affiliated characters in any way, shape, or form. Hope you enjoy!

Just in case, here are some other disclaimers: I make no claims of ownership over Hiromu Arakawa or Noriaki Kubo in real life or their fictional works. May their great works be always appreciated. Kudos to anyone who can figure out who these people are and get the slight jokes I make in the chapter.

xXxXxXx

Day 6 of the journey

The next morning the Konoha ninja were awake at an early hour, their normal breakneck pace pushing Sasuke and Naruto to keep up with the adults. After the second day of training, both Sasuke and Naruto had learned the Body Flicker Technique, and the adults were making the youngsters use it to cover more ground. As the day wore on, Naruto finally realized they had left the Land of Fire. All around him, he noticed more and more rivers as they pushed into the foreign nation. Before long, the group began to follow a deep and wide river, with a growing rock wall flanking both sides.

Noon found the group standing in front of a giant waterfall, the mist of it drenching them in no time. "Where the hell is this village we're supposed to go to?" Naruto's yell was barely recognizable over the roar of the falls.

"Right through there." Shikaku pointed straight at the torrential downpour. Sasuke took a double take at this, a dubious expression on his face.

"How are we supposed to get through there?" Sasuke and the blonde both roared. Despite their outrage, the effect of the falls made the protest into a quiet comment.

"Hn, kids. Like this, you knuckleheads." Kuromaru pushed past the youths, squaring up with the center of the water. A blue aura began to gather around the wolf, and a pulse of energy split the falls for a brief instant. In a flash, the wolf had jumped through the pause in the deluge while the curtain of water closed behind. Mikoto leaned down and placed a hand on her son's shoulder even as several of the others checked over their equipment briefly.

"Sasuke, when you pass through, make sure you dispense all of your remaining chakra. It's a protection seal that Takigakure has added to their village entrance for foreign shinobi." Mikoto looked worriedly at her son. She had neglected to mention that if you did not dispense with all of your chakra, the falls would never open. Anyone who jumped prematurely would be crushed under the force.

"I'll see you two on the other side. Make sure you get the kids through all right." In a flash, Tsume was bursting through the water, her chakra pulse timed just before her jump. Inoichi, Chouza and Shikaku quickly followed suit.

"Naruto, why don't you go first? That way you'll be around the most protection." Fugaku nodded to the blonde. The two had gotten over their differences in training during the prior nights, especially after Shikaku's explanation of the boys kekkei genkai. Naruto began to mold all of his chakra, holding it in as it became a maelstrom of energy. In a burst, he released as much chakra as he could and looked towards the waterfall. It poured in front of him, refusing to part.

"I was afraid this might happen." Fugaku frowned at the boy before talking into his neck communicator. "Shikaku, your guess was right. We're going to have to use plan B." Naruto was already gathering chakra once more, and this time dispersed an even larger amount, causing even the air and rocks beneath him to quaver under the power. Looking up expectantly, the boy frowned as the water continued to rush past.

"Why the hell won't the stupid falls open?" Naruto fell to his knees, panting to keep himself upright. Sasuke looked to his friend, then up at his father.

"Dad, should I go through with the others?" Fugaku shook his head, drawing a confused look from Sasuke. The older man leaned down so that he was close to Sasuke, making it so that he did not have to shout over the sound of the rushing waterfall.

"When we agreed with Naruto's father to take up this protection mission, we stated that the entire head family of the Uchiha would protect the Hokage's son. As such, you are bound by our agreement." Seeing his son still pondering, and guessing the reason, Fugaku laid a hand across Sasuke's shoulder. "Itachi could not join us because he was already taking on a special mission for the Hokage. That is why you were brought along, and trained as much as possible; to make sure you could do your duty, and protect the son of the Hokage." Sasuke blinked at this, surprise and conflicting emotions running across the boy's face. Fugaku stood, and turned to Naruto, who was attempting a third try to breach the falls. Fugaku moved to stop him, but Naruto again released a burst of energy, this time kicking up small rocks and pebbles, before once more collapsing on the ground.

"It's the Kyuubi, Naruto. You'll never be able to dispense all of your chakra, because more is constantly being added to your pool as soon as you dispense a portion." Fugaku placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, who met his eyes with a look of disappointment. "You couldn't have done anything about it, so don't worry about this setback for now." The boy gave a slight huff, his eyes once more fixed on the ground. Fugaku stood and nodded to Mikoto.

The group proceeded away from the falls, heading back down the trail. As they did, the quiet that enveloped the group intensified as they traveled. Finally, Fugaku spoke up to break the silence.

"We'll be camping a short distance away from the village entrance. We are going to meet up with one of the village elders to let down the gate for a second for you to pass through. Until then, we'll finish what little of your training we have left." Fugaku spoke over his shoulder to the boys, not pausing to look back.

"What? I already finished all the jutsu training, what am I supposed to do while I wait for Naruto to catch up?" Fugaku paused a moment, and looked back over his shoulder with a smug look at his son.

"You get to train tonight with me then. I hope Tsume has been improving your sword skills." Fugaku was already turned around, so he missed the sudden happy expression on Sasuke's face. Naruto's expression had darkened once more, and he let his friend and their father move ahead. 'Sasuke's lucky his dad has time to train him. I wish my dad was around more often. Still, all I have is that lame clone jutsu left to master, and that one's really obnoxious for some reason. Maybe Mikoto will have something new to teach me…'

"What about me, Mikoto-san? I already mastered everything but that stupid clone jutsu! Besides, Shikaku said that might not be possible for someone like me…" Mikoto smirked at the boy's pouting face. 'Poor guy. Must be tough being friends with a kid like Sasuke. Oh well, I'll help him out a little bit then.'

"Well, then we get to learn a very special set of techniques tonight. If I'm right, these three will be fairly simple for you to learn." Naruto looked just as happy as Sasuke, and was quickly racing to catch up with the others. 'Jeez, I didn't even tell the little idiot what it is he was going to learn. Men.' Mikoto put on a burst of speed, catching up to the boys.

xXxXxXx

Night of Day 6 of the Journey

A tall man with a simple turban turned back towards his six-man squad. "Alright, listen up. We're in waterfall territory now, so keep your wits about you!" His barking voice surprised the two oldest members of his group, but the three youngest all remained impassive.

Baki narrowed his eyes at this, observing each of the children. The girl and the puppeteer were obviously tired beyond belief, far too gone to be combat ready. The youngest though just stared straight ahead, his gaze speaking of nothing but murder. 'Gaara. You are aptly named it seems.'

Twirling a kunai in his hand, he pitched it into an empty clearing. "We're making camp here tonight. I want to enter the Land of Rivers at full combat strength, so that means getting decent rest tonight. Unpack your things and get camp set up. I'll do a perimeter sweep." His eyes locked with the other jonin on the escort mission. "It should only take ten minutes, so I expect to see ration bars out and water bags refilled."

"Yes, sir." The reply from the two older ninja was automatic, their minds already set to the task. Hands quickly reached into bags, and before long, there was a small campfire going, along with tents expertly pitched. Baki nodded once, before jumping into the trees.

As the leader of the group disappeared, the two older sand siblings collapsed where they stood. Temari caught herself on hands and knees, and Kankuro landed heavily in a kneeling crouch.

Between panting breaths, Temari managed to gasp out, "I don't know how much more of that I could have taken. We've been going for nearly three days." She shrugged off the strap for her battle fan, and the object thunked heavily to the ground. Kankuro managed to lower his mummified package a touch more gracefully, but the parts still clanked as it lowered to the ground.

"Kankuro, Temari, I'm hungry. You'd do well to have my meal ready soon." Temari and Kankuro both froze at the sound of their brother's voice. It was gravelly, and laced with an edge of merriment. That was never good. Gaara was always the most bloodthirsty when he sounded happy.

It was not the forced march that had Gaara in a mood to kill. No, there was a feeling on the wind. A feeling of something akin to his Mother had grown the closer that the group had come to their destination. Whatever it was, it was exciting, and made the bloodthirsty sand stir in his gourd.

He had acquired the gourd after Yashamaru had failed at killing him three months prior. Mother had suggested he keep the sand, wanting to be closer to her son. It was now his way of carrying his Mother with him wherever he went. He had crafted the thing himself, and had used his powers to manipulate the sand into forming the kanji character grafted on his forehead. The symbol for love was his statement to the world; he would love only himself, and fight for only himself. No other person could be trusted. No one except Mother…

The feeling on the wind though spoke of individuals similar to him. If there was ever anyone against whom he could validate his existence, it would be one of those individuals. For the first time, Gaara desired to kill and slaughter an unknown foe. Killing the villagers was one thing; they deserved the death he brought. But this foe, whoever they were, would prove to be most satisfying.

'I look forward to spilling the blood of my kin. It should be most pleasing to Mother.'

Gaara's smile was wide as he stood, staring into the distance.

xXxXxXx

Day 7 of the Journey

The morning saw Sasuke sitting around a campfire, his meal portion in his hand. 'Blech…I can't wait until we can go into the village and get some decent food. It'd be nice to have something edible.' Sasuke forced down the vile glop, turning to look at the tent next to him as a rustling sound was heard.

Naruto emerged from his tent, a nightcap of a frog resting on his forehead. Sasuke snickered at his bedraggled friend who sleepily began to assemble his morning breakfast. 'Guess my mom worked him pretty hard. Usually he's the one who's up before I am.' Sasuke turned his neck back to his food and let out a slight grunt as a spasm ran through his muscles.

'Then again, Dad didn't work me too lightly either.' Sasuke rolled his shoulders and his head a bit, trying to work the kink out of his neck. As he did, he noticed his father approaching the campsite. Today though, he was dressed out in full battle garb, the Uchiha fan blade strapped to his back, with thick metal grieves and gauntlets. He wore a set of red samurai armor over his chest, appearing more warrior than ninja.

"You two need to finish up. The greeting party is coming here soon." Fugaku frowned at Naruto, taking in his morning beanie. "Naruto, you have to change into the battle and dress garb the Hokage prepared." Naruto looked about to retort, but bit back the remark at the mention of his father. The purpose of their mission came back to Naruto in a flash as he shifted in his seat, silently finishing his breakfast.

Deciding an angry Naruto was better than a sulking one, Sasuke turned and lightly punched him in the shoulder. "Come on, blockhead. It's not every day a guy meets the girl he'll spend the rest of his life with!"

Naruto turned with an outraged expression on his face and began shouting at him at the top of his lungs. "What the hell kind of a best friend are you, huh?" The boy's voice was far louder than his size, but the worst part of the retort was the egg that splattered right onto Sasuke's face. It seemed that in his shout Naruto had forgotten what he was eating a moment before.

Sasuke and Naruto both paused as the chewed excrement slid down Sasuke's forehead. "That's it. I'm using one of the sword kata's on you for that one!" Sasuke sprang to his feat, grabbing a wooden camp spoon for a blade as he chased down the fleeing blonde.

"Come back here and fight me, damn you! You coward!" Sasuke chased after Naruto as fast as he could, but no matter how hard Mikoto had worked him, the boy was still excited and energetic as always as he bounced away.

Fugaku shook his head, and sighed, beginning to clean up the mess of breakfast the two had left behind them. 'I hope Mikoto's having better luck with the search patrol. We could definitely use some good news right around now...'

xXxXxXx

Mikoto flashed through the trees, her eyes running from vantage point to vantage point. She was trying to find the best spot to scout into the distance, searching for signs of the Sunagakure ninja. Shikaku had theorized that a Jinchuuriki might not be able to make it through the defenses at the falls, so it would be better to send a scout team to locate the Suna-nin. If they could get both Jinchuuriki through at the same time, it might end up causing the group less hassle. Still, the odds of finding that group were severely slim. The Konoha ninja were at least a few days ahead of the other group, meaning that Mikoto had to push out for quite a ways in order to have a chance of spotting them.

Glancing at the afternoon sun, Mikoto realized she might have pushed out a bit too far. 'Guess I got a little excited about being off on my own for once…' A small smile adorned her face as she found a nearby tree that offered a decent view. 'Must be being around Tsume so much…she really makes a woman want to be independent again, like in the old days when I was on all girl squad. Working with Yoshino Nara and Kushina Uzumaki was quite an experience though…' Mikoto fondly smiled as she reached into her backpack, pulling out a set of binoculars. For several minutes, Mikoto casually scanned the horizon, hoping to find the foreign ninja. A group of three individuals drew her attention as they casually strolled out of a wooded area about a hundred yards away.

'Shit, it would be just my luck to encounter our first possible hostiles…I was only told to sweep a large perimeter so that we could run into the Suna group ahead of schedule, not get into a firefight…' Mikoto grimaced as she held the binoculars to her face. In the distance, she spotted several approaching figures. There was a girl with blue-green hair and an orange and grey outfit leading the party. The girl was instantly recognizable.

'Why did we have to run into Fuu while we were still outside the village? The girl is known for her lack of care when it comes to other people.' Mikoto reached into her bag, pulling out a radio communicator. It crackled as she brought it to life, and then suddenly burst into electrical debris. Mikoto cast the thing aside, cursing as a tingling sensation numbed her hand. She looked all around her, and in the distance she could make out Fuu's group coming to a halt. Picking up the binoculars, Mikoto turned her attention back to the girl. She was waving a single finger back and forth in front of her face, a grim smile set on her face.

Lightning cackled to life on the single finger, and Mikoto watched as she pointed straight at the Uchiha's position. The lightning arced in an instant and blasted the tree she was standing in, littering the air with wooden shrapnel. Mikoto barely had time to dodge the tree shards by using the body flicker, panting behind another tree. While her ears were still ringing from the thunderclap, she quickly created ten clone images and sent them sprinting in different directions. Hopefully Fuu would track one of them down instead.

An instant later ten blasts of lightning trailed out, their flashes much stronger and closer. Each of the clones was impaled on a bolt of lightning, the crackle of which saturated the air. Mikoto reached into her pouch, and pulled out several small black pellets. Covering her eyes, Mikoto threw the pellets skyward. Even with her eyes covered, Mikoto felt the flash of light sting her eyes.

A shout rang out, and Mikoto opened her eyes to see the small girl blinking rapidly, trying to clear the effects of the miniaturized flash grenades. 'She just covered a hundred yards in an instant! That's as fast as Shisui! Is she really on the same level as an Uchiha though?' Mikoto felt a drip of sweat run down her neck. This was going to be tense…

"Who the hell are you? Don't you know radio transmissions from foreign ninja are expressly forbidden within one hundred miles of Takigakure! Explain yourself immediately or I will gladly terminate you!" The girl blinked and rubbed at her eyes, trying to make her sight return to normal.

"I'm from Konoha. We are here to participate in the tri-village treaty act. We have been authorized by your leader to use radio to communicate with each other recently. Here are my credentials." Mikoto warily reached into her pocket and began to pull out the documents. She was surprised that Fuu had recovered her sight at this point and was glaring in her direction.

'Those should have knocked her sight out for an hour at the least. These Jinchuuriki are insane…' Mikoto handed over the signed pieces of paper, and Fuu scanned them critically. The girl let out an exaggerated sigh, and fixed the jonin with a look of a smiling predator.

"It would have been so much fun to kill you too…we might have even gotten to drag a couple of the nearby farm settlements into the action…Oh well." Fuu looked over the documents once more, a dejected look on her face. "Ah shit, it says here you're escorting the Hokage's son no less…I guess I should offer my assistances in that case. Man, this is such a bore!" Fuu turned from her internal monologue, glancing back at the woman across from her.

"I knew I should have just killed you straight off. You're going to make me have to stay in the village for a little while." Lightning crackled dangerously around the mint-haired girls frame, her eyes widening. They crackled and split into compound eyes, similar to that of a beetle. "Maybe I should just kill you first and destroy the evidence. It would save me all the hassle. Besides, the Hive could always use an extra meal…" Mandibles seemed to be growing from her face, and Fuu's skin was quickly being covered in a carapace-like skin.

Mikoto reached into her bag and drew out a set of clawed hand wraps. Slipping them on quickly, she turned to face her opponent, her eyes settled in for combat. Before either of the two kunoichi could move, four kunai with seal tags placed around the handles surrounded Fuu.

"Kubo! Damnit, I was just getting excited for a really good scrap." Fuu whined petulantly as her powers were quickly sealed away, the four kunai glowing with chakra being drained from the Jinchuuriki.

"Sorry Fuu, but this one is off the market. She's an Uchiha, and from the looks of it, she's Mikoto the Mongoose. Her fighting style was said to be so impressive that even the great Orochimaru feared her claws." A young man, looking to be in his teens, jumped lightly to the ground and began removing the kunai. He had spiky orange hair, and wore a strange black shikakusho. At his waist was a simple long sword with the guard in the form of the kanji for all. A short chain hung from the end. What was most surprising about the youth were his bright yellow eyes that were pierced with a single vertical black slit.

"Noriaki, let's get moving. If this is Mikoto Uchiha, she is here for the treaty signing." A lady with a refined voice entered the clearing, her arms hidden by the long red sleeves of a trench coat with white gloves covering both of her hands. As she walked, it seemed that there was a weight on her right side. She took the sealed kunai from her teammate and placed them easily within the trench coat.

"Forgive my teammate Fuu. She was treated poorly as a child within Takigakure, and so we tend to take long missions that keep us far from the village. My name is Hiromu Arakawa, and this is Noriaki Kubo. We will escort and see to your entrance into the village." As the girl approached, Mikoto noticed her bright blonde hair, and her relative youth. In fact…

"You're a boy." The Uchiha's plain statement caught the young ninja off guard. "And a short one at that…" As soon as the words had left Mikoto's mouth she regretted it. The young boy in front of her flew into a rage, throwing random assortments of sealed kunai at her, though obviously intending little damage. Mikoto jumped away easily, throwing apologies over her shoulder.

"Hiromu, calm down. You are only twelve, it shouldn't be a surprise for a pretty young man like yourself to be mistaken for a girl. If you didn't keep your blonde hair so long and braided you might be a bit better off, though..." Fuu placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and he slumped into it, leaning against her.

"Yeah, you're right, Fuu. Anyways, let's get this _**rude**_ woman back to her group." Fuu chuckled, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder to follow the now quite chagrined Mikoto.

After they had been walking for a while, Mikoto motioned Fuu forward.

"What is it?" Fuu's tone was harsh, especially compared to her friendly voice used with Hiruma.

"There's something you might need to know as a Jinchuuriki about the Hokage's son. This is fairly well known, so you can decide whether to tell your teammates or not. The Hokage's son is the Jinchuuriki for the nine-tailed fox." Fuu's eyes flew wide open at this, before a small chuckle escaped her. It was particularly dry and full of contempt.

"It's always the leader's children, huh? Those bastards…" Fuu's eyes had narrowed dangerously again, and the acrimony smell of static discharge was palpable in the air.

"The fact of the matter is we have reason to believe that the one-tailed Jinchuuriki will also be in attendance at the meetings. That could mean that three of the nine will be meeting in one place. I need to know if the village security measures have improved enough over the last few years to handle such a situation." Fuu chuckled once more in the dry, contemptuous manner.

"The security around the village has never been better. Ever since Konoha managed to talk Takumi into joining up with Takigakure, our village has been growing in leaps and bounds. The artisans say that the waters that surround the great tree make their weapons far more powerful. It has helped us attract more clients, and build our shinobi population at a much faster rate. The village is prospering." Throughout her explanation, the sound of crackling electricity only intensified. The last sentence had been spit as if almost poisonous; the word prospering caused Fuu's eyes to shatter once more into compound lenses.

"Fuu, will there be a problem with three Jinchuuriki being in one place at the same time?" Fuu looked puzzled at this, the electricity around her calming to a manageable level.

"The last gathering of three of the nine caused a small war in Kumo. I was the cause for that mostly." Fuu's voice was, for the first time, full of sadness. "There was no need for the battle, but the two tail container just pissed me off. She was so emotionless, and I guess I just lost control when she started to insult me for my lack of it. The eight and two tails were far more than I could handle though. They quickly put a stop to my rampage…" Fuu lowered her head as she walked, her voice now almost a whisper. "…Not fast enough to prevent us killing so many civilians though…"

Fuu looked darkly at the Uchiha, her face set hard with grief. "I hate all the villagers in Takigakure, of that make no mistake. However, other villages have never given me much grief, so killing them is troubling. Don't mistake that for me being hypocritical. The villagers of Takigakure deserve the sympathy of no Jinchuuriki…" Mikoto nodded once, and thanked the girl. She snorted, and jumped ahead, scouting the trail.

"I'll lead. I can pick up on the other radio set in the camp ahead, so I'll meet you all there." In a flash, the blue haired girl was gone.

Mikoto and the others raced to catch up. Meanwhile, the female Uchiha had a single thought running through her head. 'Naruto, whatever you do, please don't end up like her. I don't know if the village could survive having someone like you hating us that way…'

xXxXxXx

Night of Day 7 of the journey

Mikoto walked into the camp, Fuu and her group following behind. Dusk had begun to fall, and the camp ahead seemed to show a gathering of individuals. In the gathering dusk, Mikoto made out a figure wearing a Takigakure headband, his hair spiky and black, splaying out behind him.

"Suien…what are you doing here?" Fuu's voice was dark, her hands reaching for a weapons pouch.

"Don't fear, Heiki-san. I am merely here to ensure that all of the groups make it safely into the village." The man's voice was gravely, and his eyes looked friendly.

"Mikoto, I saw the flash-bangs go off earlier. I tried to contact you, but I wasn't able to reach your communicator." Fugaku's eyebrows were drawn down in worry, his eyes scanning over the other Takigakure ninja.

"Don't worry Fugaku. I was caught off guard by Fuu and her companions, and the communicator was destroyed in the exchange. Once I identified myself, they helped escort me back to the camp." Mikoto glanced around, not noticing either Sasuke or Naruto.

"The boys are already asleep. I had them change earlier, but then you didn't make it back in time. When Suien arrived, I had the man test their training out a little bit. They did well, but wore themselves out pretty quickly. I told them to take a break, and sleep while they could. They protested at first, but were out like a light once they tucked in for a brief rest." Fugaku looked up towards Fuu and regarded her carefully. "Thank you for seeing my wife back to me."

Fuu flushed a bit at being thanked, but nodded her head silently. Fugaku turned back to Mikoto, his attention now shifted back to business.

"Suien has informed me that there have been sightings of Sabaku-san and her traveling partners. As such, we are to remain here for now to meet with them, and then we should be able to approach Takigakure." Mikoto nodded, and began to proceed towards the campfire. Fuu's group and Suien eyed one another wearily over the fire, but eventually settled into spots on opposite sides of the flame.

A few hours passed, and before long, individuals were breaking off for sleeping shifts around the camp. Naruto woke up during the middle of the night and ventured out of his tent. Sitting around the campfire was a single kunoichi. She looked to be around nineteen, and had mint-green hair. Assuming she was an ally, the boy walked over towards the campfire.

"So, you're the Hokage's son." Naruto stiffened at the sudden statement, pausing as he poured himself some hot tea. His face had contorted in displeasure at the mention of Hokage.

"Yeah, though I hardly like the fact that my father has that job. I wish he was just another jonin in the village." Fuu smirked at this, nodding her head in agreement.

"It sucks to be ignored and used as a pawn, doesn't it? Though you wouldn't know too much of that, Konoha seems to like their Jinchuuriki." Naruto snorted derisively, taking a sip from his beverage.

"Even though I might not be from Takigakure, I know what it's like to have people fear you. Hell, some of the villagers will use the excuse of me being the Hokage's son to avoid dealing with me, afraid they'll offend their great leader. Or scared that his demon offspring might lash out at them if he's not satisfied…" Fuu smirked at this, nodding. She reached her hand out, and clapped the boy on the shoulder. Naruto turned and nodded at her, sensing a bond of kinship. "…Now even my _**father**_ has pushed me into this damned marriage. I'm not even eight years old, and he has me reading texts on politics and grooming me to be the leader of our village! What kind of father does that?" Naruto's eyes pleaded with the girl, and she just shook her head and gave the boy a look of kind and knowing care.

'She must be her village's Jinchuuriki…she knows what it's really like…' Fuu smiled at the boy, and pulled her arm back to herself.

"Look, I know the villagers are a bunch of assholes, but the life of a ninja is definitely the best thing you could ask for…" Fuu stared into the coals of the fire, her voice pitched low. She drew her knees to her chest, and wrapped her arms around them. In an instant, the image of an older teen disappeared and she looked to be a scared little girl. "…by becoming a weapon for your village, you'll gain the benefit of having teammates you can trust with your back. You can even trust them with the truth about what you are, what you house. More than that though, you'll get to see the world, and if you're really lucky, you know what else?" Fuu paused, looking into Naruto's eyes with that same kindness in them. Naruto slowly shook his head, wondering why his face was flushing.

"You'll get to meet other Jinchuuriki. Only another container, or those that are close to one, will ever be able to truly understand your burden. Those people are the most precious things you'll ever find." Naruto blinked, his eyes confused and watering. No one had ever talked to him this way before. Whenever he had brought the fox up before to his mom, she had told him that she'd start explaining about the demon when he was older. His father always told him that only his mother would be able to help. It had left him unwilling to even approach the topic with his friends, though he was sure at least most of their parents knew the truth about Naruto. He knew Sasuke was aware of his burden, but he was not convinced about any of the other children. "Your father is using you to protect your village. The greatest duty a ninja can take up is to give their life for their home. You are doing that twice over now, both in this marriage, and in your containment of the demon. Just remember, you are doing this not because your father, nor your Hokage has asked you to; you are doing this to protect those few individuals you care about." Naruto tried to hide the glistening tears at the corner of his eyes, and ignored the pain of growing nails digging into his clenched fists. "It's said that only those who have the greatest opportunity to love can contain the power of the tailed beasts. Love is the greatest power in this world. So long as you love, and receive love, you can decide your own fate." Fuu had stopped looking over at Naruto long ago, and her eyes were filled with sadness, staring into the dimming embers.

"Thank you. I don't know what to say, but thank you." Fuu shrugged the response off, turning back to looking into the fire. Naruto settled into his tea, and was about to introduce himself formally when the girl roughly shoved him off his wooden stump.

"What the hell was that for?" Naruto shouted at the girl. She reached into her gear bag and pulled out metal senbon needles in response.

"Go wake the others. We have incoming targets, and I don't know if they are hostile or not." The needles flashed quickly in all directions, lightning arcing out from her hands. "When you wake the others, tell them that one of our kin has awakened." Naruto saw ten shapes of pure lightning rise up from the displaced senbon. The figures leapt into the trees, scattering in several directions.

"Shouldn't we wait and get…" In a flash, the girl was gone into the woods, "…the others. That ladies insane…" Naruto shook himself and dashed over to the Uchiha tents.

xXxXxXx

Night of Day 7 of the Journey

Baki had seen the fading light and cursed. Takigakure was not that far away from their current location, but to move around in the dark would have been madness. He moved to signal for a halt when suddenly Gaara sprinted past him. Baki blinked in surprise; the young demon had never moved with alacrity before on the trip.

"Gaara, where the hell do you think you are going? You need to get back into formation!" Gaara paused, turning to look at Baki. When he did, eyes of gold with blue cross hairs stared back at him.

"My kin are ahead. I am going to catch them, then use their deaths to prove my existence. You will not stop me." The boy threw a hand out and sand lashed suddenly around Baki. In an instant, the jonin was helplessly pinned to a tree. Gaara turned and began sprinting ahead.

"Shit, Baki's down, Isago. What are we going to do?" A man with short brown hair and basic Sunagakure ninja garb turned to a similarly clad individual. Like Baki, Isago wore a simple turban covering the right side of his head. The man grimaced, and began forming a rapid number of seals.

"Damn it. Mukade, we're going to just have to guard the other Kazekage siblings after we get Baki loose. That demon's got enough power to take care of himself. Once we can reach the village and drop off the kids, we'll catch up with Gaara." Mukade nodded in agreement, bursting ahead to catch up with Kankuro. The puppet user looked up at Mukade weakly as he clapped a hand on his shoulder, waking the boy from his standing stupor.

"Sorry kid, but we need to free Baki and catch up with Gaara. You and your sister watch our backs real quick while we free him, alright?" Kankuro nodded, jumping over to the head ninja.

Temari and Isago were already looking over Baki. His head had smashed into the tree, and he seemed to be knocked out. "He's breathing at least…" Temari jumped back as the sand reached out towards her with grasping tendrils. She managed to dodge most of them, but she could only watch as the sand binding tightened around the older man. "…though I don't know for how much longer." The girl grimaced as she covered up a light gash on her arm, and Mukade moved to place a hand over the wound, channeling healing chakra into the injury.

Isago moved closer, his hands whirring with a buzz-saw like sound. Several minutes passed as the man carved into the tree, leaving a series of deep cuts in the sand and trunk, freeing Baki. Mukade stooped down and picked the man up, then turned and began sprinting to the left of Gaara's direction. The others quickly followed, though they were afraid of what they chased.

Far ahead, the air was saturated with the feeling of murder, and the wind howled like a bloodthirsty monster.

xXxXxXx

Some small part of Gaara's psyche struggled against what was happening. He had spent so much of his young life up late at night, fighting the temptation to sleep. Now though, the sheer bliss of giving in to his bloodthirsty desires was oddly making him tired. So very tired…

Gaara settled down onto a small patch of ground. 'For so long, I've fought the desire to sleep. But perhaps, in my sleep I'll dream of proving my existence. Perhaps, I'll dream once more of his murder.' Yashamaru flashed once painfully before his eyes, on the night he had told him of wounds of the heart. The next instant, he beheld the wonderful explosion of his uncle, and a chuckling voice was heard in the back of his mind.

"I understand Mother. If I go to sleep, you can show them my dreams. You'll help me realize my dream, of proving my existence…" The boy's voice shook with weakness and longing. "…I'll let you out, to see the sky once more when I sleep, won't I? It's been so long since you got to see the world, so I don't mind. Show them my dream Mother, show them what we both desire." Gaara closed his eyes, and the sands began to quickly shift around him. A sky, clear of clouds with a full moon hanging above, shone down on the clearing below.

xXxXxXx

HOLY FREAKING FILLER TIME OF FILLER-NESS…Finally got everyone where they are supposed to be in the way they are supposed to be. Hopefully this didn't take too long, but it feels like I used up way to much space in here. I would like to throw a major shoutout to my beta, Lazruth, for editing these last two chapters. Well, that's the chapter, and if any of you feel like looking some things up, I left a few Easter Eggs in there for you. Well, that's all till next time, so as always, read and review! If you leave some really thoughtful or positive ones, I might even start putting them in the openings and closing of arcs! This arc should conclude after the end of the battle sequences.


	10. Chapter 10

I do not own Naruto or any affiliated characters in any way, shape, or form. Hope you enjoy!

Just in case, here are some other disclaimers: I make no claims of ownership over Hiromu Arakawa or Noriaki Kubo in real life or their fictional works. May their great works be always appreciated. Kudos to anyone who can figure out who these people are and get the slight jokes I make in the chapter.

xXxXxXx

Mukade frowned as he jumped through the trees after his allies. His left hand was busily moving through rapid seals, while his right stabilized the man he had placed on his shoulder. Chakra was steadily leaking from his hand, poisoning the elder jonin. 'I managed to slip some poison into both Temari and Kankuro's food over the last few days, so as soon as I can place a little bit of chakra into them, they should be out in a few moments. Isago though is still proving to be difficult.' Mukade quickly cut off the flow of chakra as he noticed the taller jonin come to a halt in front of him.

"Do you all feel that? The air feels heavy with bloodlust…" A feeling of doom had settled quickly over the forest, and the sounds of animals fleeing towards the group was deafening. The trees rustled with the movements of animals leaping through their limbs, and from birds taking flight in the still night air. A sudden howling wind appeared, and blew past the warriors in the opposite directions. The wind stopped as suddenly as it had appeared, and the moonlit sky was suddenly darkened by a looming image. "We're too late…We need to find the Konoha ninja, they should be able to help us. If not, we are all going to be killed by the demon this night." Mukade's eyes widened at this, and he quickly moved forward with Baki. He reached a hand out, lacing it with poisonous chakra as subtly as he could. He faked perfect concern as he smirked inwardly.

"I'll head out with the kids and bring the leaf ninjas back to help. My medical and genjutsu skills will not be of much use against such an opponent." Mukade's hand landed lightly on Isago's shoulder, and the jonin nodded to him in response. 'I think I managed to tag him without him noticing. Good thing those punk kids are so exhausted at the moment that they can't see five feet in front of them.' Mukade put on a face of serious concern. "Good luck coming to grips with that demon. It uses wind attacks, from what I remember, so your jutsu probably won't be as effective either." Isago nodded just once, and turned to head out against the demon.

"Come on you two, let's get moving. The Konoha camp cannot be far ahead." As the three forms leapt into the trees, Mukade smiled, his grip on Baki tightening by the second.

xXxXxXx

Fuu leapt through the trees, her skin already crackling with lightning as her skin broke out into a carapace shell. Her hands reached out, claws forming to grasp and fling her through the trees as fast as possible. 'I'm not going to make it in time. The demon is going to become fully realized.' Grimacing, the kunoichi began to focus the power of her demon into her body flicker technique. In the blink of an eye, she had covered a mile of forest, and came face to face with a mountain of sand.

The demon appeared as a giant hunched over form, standing nearly thirty feet tall. The single tail that swept behind it blotted out the moon, and its eyes shown with a golden hatred for all living creatures. It was covered in various markings, indiscernible in the low lighting. Ears swept around the clearing, and a nose as large as a horse sniffed the air. Fuu felt her muscles tighten as the head shifted and came to focus on her position. The face of the demon split into a grin, and large teeth gleamed in the evening light. There was blood spattered all over the inside of the demon's mouth, and what appeared to be entrails littered along the forest floor.

"Well, crap. Looks like you spotted me, you sand dog." Fuu flashed into the trees, dodging a giant bullet of air that whipped past her. Looking back, she noticed the destruction of several trees, and raised her eyebrows in appreciation. 'Looks like the demon is in control…guess that means I get to cut loose tonight.' Fuu grinned, and began gathering chakra into her hands. A blue crackling light sprang to life, and her mint colored hair flickered in and out of the darkness. "Come on, big boy. Let's see if you know how to rumble." In an instant, the girl had flashed forward, coming within an inch of the demon's face, only to dodge to the side as tendrils of sand reached out to crush her.

"I'm no sand dog, you horny dung beetle. I'm Shukaku, the feared raccoon dog of the Desert of Endless Wind." The demon raised a paw from the ground, and a swirling ball of demonic energy formed. Fuu cursed and raised her hands in a splitting fashion as the chirping of lightning grew louder. In a single instant, a flash of energy obliterated a swath of forest fifteen feet wide. Fuu panted within the destruction, wincing as she felt the carapace shell reforming after the blast.

"Well, that was interesting. Never expected my lightning fist to be able to stop a Bijuu Ball…" Fuu jumped to the side, and pushed out more chakra. Four wings with tails on the end formed on her back, all of which disappeared in a blur of movement. "Now, let's see how you deal with mine!" A crackling orb of electricity and energy exploded in front of the Shukaku's stomach.

Fuu jumped to the side as a massive paw came to sweep her aside. She looked on in horror as Shukaku took a deep breath, and the sand reformed onto its side. 'I blasted over half of that thing apart, and it just reformed? Even the eight tails didn't have that kind of regeneration.' Her thinking stopped as the beast continued to draw in the surrounding air.

"Vacuum Sphere Barrage!" Swirling masses of destructive winds ripped from the beast, and howled towards Fuu. The female Jinchuuriki grimaced, and began flashing through the destruction, dodging with as much speed as she could muster.

"The best part about this fight, Jinchuuriki…I get stronger as the fight goes on, and the boy containing me weakens…" A lightning bolt arced from out of the darkness and struck the demon across the face. It turned a grim face on the bite sized snack that faced him. Sand reformed over his face, erasing the hole that had completely blotted out half of the beast's jaw.

Electricity crackled in the air, and a single waving tail was seen between Fuu's beating wings. "I guess I'll just have to kick your ass faster than. Though you are a pretty big boy to take down…" A smirk flashed across the girls face, and mandibles descended from her jaw, clicking together in anticipation.

xXxXxXx

Naruto had barely started to shake the tent of the Uchiha's when he sensed movement coming from within. In an instant, Fugaku Uchiha stood before him, sword drawn and leveled at Naruto's face. "Woah woah woah! I'm just the messenger!" Fugaku lowered the blade, returning it to his scabbard. Mikoto emerged from the tent as well, Sasuke standing by his side a moment later.

"The enemy ninja are approaching. Unfortunately, it feels like the Shukaku is on the rampage at the moment." Fugaku turned and burned his eyes into the two children. "You two must go with Suien to the village, and avoid this battle." Naruto began to speak up, but Mikoto placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, silencing him.

"You are not yet ready to face one of the demon containers Naruto. You will not be ready for many years to control the Nine-Tailed Fox in combat." Naruto grimaced and looked down. Ground crunched in front of the group, and they all looked up to see Noriaki and Hiruma in full battle gear.

"We are going to help our teammate. You should go with Suien and make sure that the children arrive safely at the village." Noriaki turned away from the group and drew his sword. The night air seemed to darken around the man, with a feeling of palpable weight settling into the clearing. "The sand ninja are approaching. You should leave before they arrive. The fact that they would unleash a demon on a diplomatic meeting does not speak well for a visit from such a group." Mikoto pushed past her children, and placed a hand on Hiruma.

"You should not go into this fight Hiruma. You are a young child, and probably Takigakure's only seal master. Will you go with our children while my husband and I fight on your behalf?" Hiruma shook his head, a sad smile forming on his face.

"Sorry, Mikoto-san. When I donned this headband, I became an adult, and I will give that life to protect my teammate, no matter what situation she gets herself into." The boy chuckled lightly, and dashed into the tree line, Noriaki quickly following. Mikoto moved to intercept the two, but Fugaku grabbed her shoulder.

"Let them go. Our own set of company has just arrived." Three figures landed in the clearing, but the lack of light in the night sky made them hard to discern. "Sasuke, Naruto, you two stay with Mikoto. As soon as Suien arrives from patrol duty, I want you to leave with him. We'll be along shortly after, so no matter what, do not come looking for us. Do you understand?" The boys nodded, and Sasuke drew his sword from his waist. His hands appeared to be shaking.

"Don't be scared son. We've trained you well." Fugaku smiled as his son steadied his blade.

"I'm not frightened. I'm excited." Fugaku smirked, and his Sharingan settled into his eyes.

"Good. Use that then, to protect your friend and mother." A moment later, he was across the clearing, his blade drawn out in the evening light.

"Wait! We are not enemies! We have wounded, and claim amnesty as allies of the leaf." The voice that called out was loud, but quavered with fear. A blade was poised at the man's throat, and Fugaku watched as sweat beaded into eyes held open with terror.

The man growled, and swung his sword down and away from the man, cutting the air. "You unleash a demon on the countryside, and expect us to not see you as an enemy?" The blade began to blaze with fire, and Mikoto steadied her stance around the two boys.

"We cannot control Gaara. The sealing did not go as planned when he was created. Even now, the demon is in control, and Gaara is fading from the world. Soon only the demon will remain." Mukade grimaced as he felt the two children behind him begin to faint. 'Guess I pushed the poisonous chakra through a little early. Oh well, better hope they don't have an attentive medic.'

"Why are they fainting? Are they wounded in any fashion?" Fugaku's face flickered dangerously in the light of his blade. The tomoes in his eyes spun, making a solid circle of black on a red background.

"They are merely children, and are tired from our journey to escape the demon." The man on Mukade's shoulder began to stir, and Baki blinked his eyes open to face an enraged Uchiha holding a flaming sword.

"What's going on Mukade? Last I remember we were chasing after Gaara…" Baki's voice was dry, and he coughed as Mukade lowered him to the ground. The man started to stand, and then doubled over with coughing, his left knee falling to the ground. "We need to stop Gaara, he is our village's responsibility." Coughing overtook the man once more, and he struggled to stand and stare down Fugaku.

"You are in no condition to fight. You should take the children and go." Baki grimaced, but nodded with the Konoha shinobi's suggestion.

"Mukade, you will accompany them, and help them fight against the Shukaku. If we are lucky, we will all get to see the morning dawn." The other ninja nodded, but tensed up as moonlight played into the clearing and revealed another man standing in the shadows.

"Well, I guess I'll be taking the children then, right Fugaku?" Suien stepped into the clearing, turning to look up at the sky. Though the moon had returned, it revealed not one, but three looming figures in the distance. "I think the fight with the demon is deteriorating quickly. You should hurry."

xXxXxXx

"You damned beetles are just too small and fast for your own good. If I'm gonna fight you, let's see how you deal with three on one!" Shukaku growled as sand ripped up from the forest floor, covering the entirety of the demon. Three forms, slightly smaller in size but each just as deadly emerged from the sandstorm.

"Damn it. I was just starting to come to grips with seeing one of your ugly mugs, and now I have three?" Fuu jumped to the side as a barrage of sand and wind raced past her, destroying much of the forest as it passed. "You are a much more annoying container than any I've fought before…" Another deluge of wind raced towards her, and Fuu barely managed to dodge to the side. 'Crap. I won't have as much time to talk to the demon and lure the medium out of hiding.'

"You weren't paying attention, little playmate…" Sand grasped around Fuu's ankles, and one of the Shukaku clones came around behind her to hold her in place. The two others flanked her on the left and right, each with a lecherous grin.

"You go first brother, you are the one who caught the girl…" A gritty hand reached out from the sand, and ran up her legs, and over her torso. Fuu gasped, and her rage focused a thousand times over. Lightning burst from all around her, and two final wings snapped into existence behind her.

"It's not nice to touch a lady so naughtily in public, Shukaku…Especially when other men are watching." In a blur, Fuu had closed the gap between her and the molesting demon, and punched the side of the giant tanuki's face. The sand crumbled in front of her, quickly reforming to her left. A buzzing sound filled her ears and Fuu pushed the lightning out from around her in a sudden burst. Wind crashed against the electricity, and the two forces raged. "Besides, three guys and just little old me? That sounds a bit rough, you know?" The demons grinned back at her, and a glowing orb began to form in each of their hands.

"You'd get used to it. Besides, it's not like we wouldn't take turns…" Energy blasts raced towards Fuu from all sides, and the girl disappeared in a blinding explosion. From the center of the blast radius, a single orb floated in midair. Six wings unraveled to reveal Fuu, unharmed from the blast.

"You liar. You said you would take turns, and then each of you goes after me like that? You're nothing but a big blowhard." All three of the tanuki grimaced at this, but then charged as one. Tendrils of sand shot out in every direction, but Fuu weaved through them as fast as possible, not letting a single tentacle of sand grab hold.

"Hold still, we know you can take us all now. It should be fun for you if you get all of our attention at once." Shukaku growled in frustration as Fuu continued to dodge and weave in between the oncoming onslaught. Her growing laughter only heightened the demon's rage. "I hate damn teases like you…Combination Technique: Three Kamikaze Burst!" The air in the clearing began to draw towards all three of the sand demons, leaving Fuu breathless. All of the sand suddenly lashed into place, on trees, over the ground, everywhere, but Fuu still felt herself drawn towards the howling maws. "Fire…" Wind tore through the undergrowth, tearing up the land, as three miniature tornados sprang to life.

'Shit, I'm not going to be able to dodge or counter that much raw power.' The three cyclones bled into one another, forming a monstrous storm from nothing. Clouds darkened the sky, and the swirling vortex began to uproot whole trees and boulders from the earth. Fuu felt sweat drop down her face as the demonic chakra left her form.

'Damn, guess I used up a bit too much of the Hive's power.' Sweat ran down Fuu's face as she prepared for the end. In an instant, eight kunai on a chain lashed around the maelstrom, and the raging storm disappeared. It appeared again a hundred yards behind Fuu, tearing up everything in its path.

"What the hell?" Shukaku's three forms growled and pulled back all of the sand tendrils. Fuu watched in fear as she noted that more sand was returning, created by the destructive wind attack. Each of the three forms now towered as tall as the original Shukaku.

"Fuu's right you know. Three on one is really unfair of you, even for a demon." A blast of pure energy lashed out from the darkness of the night, severing one of the arms of the demon.

"That's why we're here to help out. Since we are the heroes, we had to show up fashionably late…" Hiruma twirled a kunai in each hand, the heads of each glowing brightly. The killing implements flashed outward, and sunk into the Shukaku's arm.

"You think two kunai will do anything to me, you brat?" Shukaku glared down at the youth. 'That's the one that moved my tornado away…that punk.' The demon then noticed the grin across the child's face.

"You ever held a fire cracker, O Demon Lord?" The sardonic smile was clearly seen on Hiruma's face as an explosion severed one of the forms arm and torso entirely. "Now you have…" Fuu smiled in the darkness at her comrades, and charged the remaining demon form in the center. Lightning once more crackled over her frame, and the first signs of claws reforming could be made out in the flickering pall.

"Now that's what I'm talking about! Glad to have some support here." The girls punch caved in the shoulder of the centermost demon. Her follow up kick dented the demon's jaw. Sand quickly reformed over all the injuries, and the three shinobi grimaced in frustration.

"You bitch! You hit me in the face! Why the hell did you hit me in the face, huh? None of the others got that! I'm gonna kill you for that, you ugly hag!" A giant paw came up and knocked the girl back to the ground. Tendrils reached out to grab her, but Fuu was once more dodging and weaving among the infinite limbs.

"Noriaki, you take the one on the right. Hiruma, you get the one on the left. I get mister yappity here…" Three ninja charged into battle, each with a psychotic grin plastered onto their face. They were getting to dance with death; tonight was a good night.

xXxXxXx

Mukade leapt through the trees with Fugaku and Mikoto, fearing the moment when they arrived at the battle. 'We were held up for a bit, so Kakuzu should be in place by now. Still, I'm not happy about having to escape from two users of the Sharingan.' Mukade grimaced as a blast of wind whipped through the trees, knocking all three of the ninja off course while in midair.

"We're getting close. Mukade, you mentioned that you are skilled in medical and genjutsu abilities correct? You will remain in the rear then, with Mikoto, and aid those of us who return from combat." Mukade nodded in the moonlight, turning to look warmly at the female next to him.

"Be careful husband. I want to see you return well enough to train our son in the sword. You know I am nowhere near as good as you are." Fugaku nodded once, and his blade became wreathed in flames once again. Mukade grinned as the man disappeared.

'Dropping two Uchiha would have been a pain, but if I time this right, I can nail her with a genjutsu just as easily.' Mikoto still had her back turned to the sand shinobi, so he began gathering his chakra, beginning to form the necessary seals silently for his slow killing poison technique.

"You really need to not underestimate a leaf shinobi, Mukade. I wonder, do your allies know of your betrayal?" The man behind Mikoto froze, steeling himself so as to not give away anything. His hands ceased to glow with chakra as she turned to face him. "I ran a diagnostic jutsu on your comrade before he left with the others. I wasn't able to remove much of the poison, but I recognize the technique. It's one that Tsunade-sama found a cure to during the Second Shinobi War." Mukade spat harshly to the side, his face settling into a mask of hate.

"Damn it all. That bitch was always coming up with the counters to our poisons. Oh well, it should be enough to kill one of her apprentices at least." Mukade gathered a slight amount of chakra, preparing a substitution to escape. 'Come on, just look me in the eyes. Look me in the eyes and it's all over, you bitch.'

Mikoto's face never raised above the man's waist as her blade flashed out in the darkness. The trench knife in her hand gouged a clean gash across the man's stomach. He spluttered, and fell back on the ground. As Mikoto looked over his fallen form, her eyes met his. "Genjutsu doesn't work on the Sharingan unless used by another Sharingan user. I guess you didn't know that though…" Her blade flashed out in the night, and seemed to leave a perfect cut across the man's neck. Seals flashed quickly across her hands, and a stream of fire engulfed the man.

"I don't have time to deal with burying traitorous scum like you. Go burn in hell for all I care." Mikoto left the funeral pyre as the corpse began to sizzle from the heat, the sickening sweet smell clogging the air. In the shadows of a tree, Mukade willed his breath to halt.

'Guess it was a bit cocky of me to think I could take out an Uchiha. Still, thanks to that villager I picked up at the outpost, I get to live to tell the tale.' Mukade heard the sounds of footsteps leaving the area. He counted to ten then turned to leap back into the night. As he put distance between himself and his intended cremation, one thought raced through his mind. 'I hope Kakuzu is not angry that I left one of the Jonin alive.'

xXxXxXx

Naruto and Sasuke moved as fast as they could, flashing through the trees in the sparse light. Baki and Suien each carried one of the other kids as they raced towards the village. Naruto looked around him, and noticed the lack of ravine walls. He glanced over at Sasuke, who nodded in agreement.

"I think we're going the wrong way, Suien-san. Even though it's night, I can't see the ravine walls." Sasuke's comment caused Baki to stiffen, turning to place Temari down onto the ground. Suien paused when he noticed Baki stall for a second, lowering Kankuro down to the ground himself.

"I had hoped that we could have gotten a bit further before one of you brat's noticed…Guess I'll just have to kill you myself." Chakra flared around the man, and he charged suddenly at Baki. The jonin tried to dodge, but his movements seemed dull and slow. The blow collided forcefully with the man, and chakra lanced painfully into Baki's stomach. The older ninja crumpled in an instant, falling painfully to the ground. "Now then, if you two come quietly, I won't have to do the same thing to you…" Suien was surprised when he turned to face the two children. Sasuke had drawn his own sword, and his eyes were obviously red. Naruto had a kunai in each of his hands, and the boys seemed to be trembling.

"We're not afraid of some scum like you. But we are going to enjoy using all this training on someone right now." Naruto flashed forward in an instant, and Suien dodged to the side as kunai whizzed past his face. Sasuke's sword flashed in, and was deflected in a sudden blaze of chakra.

'Heh. If it wasn't for my chakra shield, that blow would have struck me clean through.' Suien turned and placed a powerful side kick in Naruto's stomach, expecting to send the youth sprawling. Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke, and Suien felt his eyes widen. 'That clone had substance. If that brat is the container for the Kyuubi, I may be in serious trouble if he can make more.' Spinning with the kick, Suien knocked the blade from Sasuke's hand with a single thrusting palm strike. The follow up jab was charged with chakra, and plunged towards the boy's chest…before disappearing in another puff of smoke.

"You look a little surprised. Bet you didn't think I could copy a sword as well, huh?" Naruto burst from the ground, his fist connecting solidly with the face of Suien. As the man fell backward, he heard the rustling of cloth and felt a blue light fall across his face. From on high came Sasuke, his sword arcing above his head, glowing blue with chakra. His eyes were cast in an eerie glow, the red of the Sharingan piercing Suien's heart. The older ninja tried to throw up his chakra shield, but the edge of the sword passed through the hastily made construct with ease. Even still, the sword edge left only a deep gash in Suien's shoulder; the blow would have taken the whole arm off if not for the older ninja's skill and experience.

"You little brats! Augh! Damn it, why does it hurt so much!" Sasuke jumped back as a burst of chakra swept the ground, tearing into everything in its path. Naruto was not quite as lucky, and got spun to the side before landing ten feet away in a resounding thud. "You are so dead. Only the Namikaze has to live for me to get paid, but the warrant says the last Uchiha will be worth quite a lot, dead or alive." Sasuke froze, his blade's glow dimming considerably.

"What do you mean, the last Uchiha?" Sasuke's eyes had become black again, and he now trembled with fear. 'Damn, guess using both Sharingan and Kenjutsu really exhausts my reserves. If only I had more time to get stronger…'

"Oh, so you haven't heard, huh? Seems your brother went insane and killed everyone. Even now, my associates are hunting down your parents and killing them as well. But, the orders said that only the Namikaze brat had to live…so I get to cut into you as much as I want." Sasuke stumbled backwards, his sword clattering to the ground.

"Why Naruto? Why do you want him?" Suien smiled as he approached, his hand picking up the short blade on the ground. Blood from his wound ran down, slicking both the man's hand and the glinting edge. Chakra forged another edge around the blade, and the smell of blood boiling in the heat of the energy choked the air.

"Why? He's a container, of course. Kakuzu-sama will gather all the Jinchuuriki, and make Takigakure into a great nation on his own. He will return, and make this land his, and destroy all who oppose him. Your friend is merely a container, and a young one at that." Suien smiled as chakra raced down the stolen sword, lighting his face in the darkness. A wicked smile glinted, hungry for blood. "Better to get him now, before he becomes a problem later on. But all of that is meaningless to you…because now you die!" The man flashed forward, his sword lighting high in the night sky. Sasuke froze in place, his breath hitching in his lungs. He looked away as the blow began to fall, cringing from his own death. A moment passed with no pain, and then another. Sasuke blinked open his eyes to see Suien seemingly frozen in place, his chakra-edged blade revealing a face contorted in rage and struggling to move.

"Thanks for lighting up the clearing again…Without the moon and all, it's rather hard to gather enough shadows for my techniques." At just that moment, the moon flashed into existence again, as a bunch of clouds suddenly disappeared from the night sky. "Well, damn. Strange weather we're having, but hey, that's been known to happen." A large hand reached out and grasped Suien, followed by a frowning Shikaku, Inoichi, and Chouza. Tsume walked forward, and twisted the stolen blade from the man's hand before knocking him out with a punch to the face. She tossed it unceremoniously to Sasuke.

"Here, I think this is yours. Toughen up kid; the guy was obviously lying to you to throw off your game." Sasuke blinked, and retrieved the blade from the ground. Naruto stirred on the ground, groggily blinking his eyes before awaking. "Nice of you to wake up punk, now get ready to get moving. We need to get you all to a safe place for the time being. We're not out of the woods yet." Naruto schooled his questioning features before standing and brushing himself off. Chouza was tying Suien up in bonds of rope, and Inoichi was running a quick medical scan over Baki. Temari and Kankuro were likewise treated, and then placed under a sleeping jutsu.

"Until we know whether or not these three are involved in the plot to capture you, Naruto, we cannot have them mobilized." Tsume stood and called Kuromaru with a whistle. The dog came bounding forward from the woods. "We'll take you and the others to a safe place, then stand guard until we are relieved from the Waterfall Village. No matter what happens, keep quiet and stay down." Sasuke had recovered by now, and turned to shoot the woman a frosty glare.

"Any other advice, Tsume-sama?" Tsume smirked in the moonlight, her features surprisingly feral.

"Yeah; Just don't die!"

xXxXxXx

"So, the longer I let this fight drag on, the tougher you're going to get, huh?" A black shikakusho whistled in the night, the figure fading in and out of sight like a phantom. Following each after image, destruction from uprooted trees scattered across the landscape. "Guess I'll have to finish this quickly then." A black blade slashed down, and a rush of purple chakra carved a swath through the landscape.

An explosion of sand and stone scattered back, pelting Noriaki with various debris. The man's brown eyes did not blink as he scanned the darkness. 'That shot shouldn't have finished him just yet…so why is it so quiet…' A slight hissing sound caused him to quickly glance at the ground. Sand, in the form of desert snakes, were silently approaching his position. As soon as he looked at the creatures, they leapt into action, reaching out to strike and strangle.

"Shit. Guess I let my guard down a little." The after image blurred as the man jumped through the trees, coming to rest on a branch where he could look down on the summoned Shukaku. As he did, he noticed something interesting; the demon's arm had yet to reform from the last attack. 'It even seems to be losing sand…the medium must be tiring. That means either Fuu has stopped the container, or the demon is finally starting to consume its host.' Noriaki grimaced as he brought his blade in front of him again. "Either way, it means I need to end this match now…" Chakra began to swirl around the man, circling him in a deadly pattern.

"So, you finally decided to face me, man to demon, huh?" Yellow eyes pierced the darkness, staring directly into Noriaki. The eyes were filled with a terrible hate, and a desire to kill and destroy. Wind played through the clearing, beginning to swirl around the open jaw that was filled with teeth.

"We end this with one final clash…" Noriaki dashed from his spot in the treetops, covering hundreds of feet in a single step. The demon roared, a deluge of buzzing spheres approaching as chakra gathered into a blade that appeared blacker than night. The edge of void slashed across the gale of destruction, and an explosion ripped the clearing, lighting the evening sky. Wind and energy lashed out in all directions, making the landscape look like an angry god had thrown a tantrum. Standing in the clearing was a battered figure, his clothes ripped down his left side, revealing numerous scrapes and cuts. "Sorry Fuu, I think I might have overdone that one a bit…I'm not sure, but I don't think the medium was in this one though…guess I'll find out when I wake up." The warrior fell backward, his gaze fixed on the stars in the sky.

xXxXxXx

Hiruma dodged another blast of wind, taking the chance to flash forward and place a few paper seals on the demon. The scripts began to flash and glow, and the beast growled in frustration as it pushed them from its arm in a blast of sand. Hiruma dodged to the side, and jumped behind a tree as an explosion racked his surroundings. Looking behind him, he noticed the large clearing left by the blast. Hiruma looked over the damage and smiled. 'Just one more assault like that, and I can form the boundaries…' Sand began to whisk back to the demon, reforming a claw that clenched in anticipation.

"So, you little pipsqueak, you gonna fight me or what? You've used that explosive trick on me once before, so I'm a little disappointed you would try that route again…" The sand demon stopped as two of the aforementioned kunai flashed out of the shadows. The demon ducked, surprisingly nimble for its size, and let the kunai sail over both of its shoulders. "See, that's what I'm talking about! I would have thought, after that first exchange, that you had a bit of talent, you know? Guess it's a bit much to expect of a punk your age." Sudden movement caught the demon's eye, and a rush of air flowed into the demon's maw.

A sphere of death whipped towards Hiruma, but the youth jumped over the destruction, which left a deep circular impact in the dirt. Hiruma grinned in the fading moonlight, and slammed a kunai into the dirt. "Not only did you miss, you just sealed your fate, Shikaku." The demon gave the boy a curious look, and reached a hand out to crush the youth. Only to stop as the demon came crashing into the ground.

"The sealing you are placed in is unique to every Jinchuuriki. It works only with sufficient chakra, and only if the seal master knows the exact nature of the tailed beast. As I was not able to determine your abilities beforehand, I had to make do with a field expedient." Shukaku growled, struggling to raise its massive head from the scarred earth. "I used each and every explosion and attack to create a square for sealing. Each corner had to be created by devastating attacks involving your chakra. The final piece was a bit of my own chakra combined with yours in the final location." Hiruma smirked as a low groan came from the beast.

"Those paper tags were meant to miss…" Hiruma smiled as the demon came to realize its doomed fate.

"Sorry, but I get to seal you away now, and lock all of that power back inside the medium." Hiruma's smile faltered as the sand began to crumble to nothing.

"Too bad kid. The real medium is fighting with that babe. Hope you get there in time to stop the bloodshed, though…" Hiruma swore, pushing through chakra to complete the sealing process. He leapt into the trees, and moved as fast as he could back towards Fuu's position. The fight had separated the three, each moving far enough away so that the demons could not coordinate and grow any stronger with the main host. Hiruma struggled to push more chakra into his limbs as he moved through the treetops.

"Fuu, just hold on a little longer…"

xXxXxXx

"Oh how the mighty have fallen, Shukaku…" A crackling form of lightning burst through the treetops, smashing a fist into the giant head of a demon. The sand crumbled under the blow, and for once continued to flow away from the wound. 'Finally breaking down the demon's sand armor huh? Hope that means the container's alright…' The figure disappeared again into the forest, mint blue hair and orange cloth seeming to flicker in and out of existence.

An eye full of hatred followed the girl's movement, and a deluge of sand shuriken blasted from the body of the beast. Fuu dodged them easily, lightning arcing out and destroying those few shots that strayed too close. "Damn it, hold still and let me crush you, you insect!" Laughter taunted the beast, and it thrashed a massive tail of sand out through the clearing, only to have the blow caught by the young girl.

"Well, I would normally say that I float like a butterfly and sting like a bee…but that's another Jinchuuriki's line." Lightning arced into the night sky, revealing a large carapace forming over the girl's body. Her grip tightened on the tail, and a demonic smirk that revealed mandibles and compound eyes settled onto the sparking demon. "However, just like any good beetle, you are about to get rock and rolled…" The girl yanked with an other-worldly strength, as six wings framed her struggling form. The tail of the Shukaku began to separate, breaking off into sections. Giving one last tug, the tail ripped completely from the demon, which began to scream in pain and outrage.

"You bitch, I'm going to eat you alive for this…" Sand ran down in rivulets over the entirety of the beast, and multiple tendrils of sand shot out, trying to capture and destroy the girl. Fuu just shook her head in derision.

"This is what you're left with? The same old trick, all over again?" The girl smashed her hand into the dirt, raising a giant sphere of rock from the ground. It cut off the path of all the other tendrils, and the girl smiled in anticipation. "Well, like I promised, here's the rock…and now you get rolled." The girls punch launched the giant boulder towards the crumbling behemoth, nailing it directly in the stomach.

"I always hated popular music…" The beast crumbled to the ground, dissolving into rivers of sand. In the center of it all, Fuu spotted what appeared to be a young boy, falling from the sky. She flashed out from her position in the trees, and captured the youth out of midair.

'He doesn't seem to be dead…just in a state of comatose. We're going to have to have someone in the village work on strengthening his seal for the time being.' That thought was cut off as she heard the sound of approaching footsteps. She looked up to see Noriaki standing on a branch to her right, devoid of clothes on the left half of his torso.

"Man, guess that demon put you through the ringer, huh?" Fuu chuckled as the other ninja shook his head in denial. "Oh…so you just happened to lose half of your outfit in the woods, huh? I wasn't aware that Orikasa-san was out in the woods tonight?" Fuu's face had returned to normal, and the grin that lit her face was decidedly lecherous. Noriaki merely blushed, and shook his head faster.

"I got a little carried away with my final technique. I think I even passed out for a little bit there, but I managed to run into both of the Uchiha from before. They should be catching up any moment now…" A crunch of twigs showed both of the figures standing deftly on a limb, eyes ablaze with the Sharingan. It was easy to make out their features now, as the moon finally had no further obstructions. They looked to not have been touched in battle, and the black haired female jumped lightly into the clearing, her hands glowing green.

"Fuu, if you don't mind, I'll check over your wounds and that of the boy…" The girl barely nodded; the drain of the fight was finally catching up with her. Flames suddenly burst to life on Fugaku's sword as movement was detected from the left of the clearing. Hiruma appeared, panting and struggling while leaning against the tree. The crackle of the sword died out, and Fugaku moved to help the young man into the clearing. Mikoto glanced over at the boy, but returned her attention to the red-head in front of her.

"You all are suffering from extreme chakra exhaustion. Fuu, your powers should recover rather quickly, as well as yours, Noriaki." Her look turned grim as she turned to face Hiruma. "Hiruma, you need the most rest out of any of us. Sealing away a demon, even a part of one, is a major endeavor. You did well, but you need to rest if you are going to be of any use at all." The boy nodded, his gaze rooted on the earth in front of him.

"Right then, let's get moving. I for one don't want to know what other wickedness this night might hold." Fugaku stood, his blade flickering into life once more, casting a clear swath of firelight onto the ground. As the group left the clearing, two sets of eyes peered out from the darkness. Green eyes on red backgrounds gazed over the departing group, alongside pinkish red eyes that were framed by hair of silver. Black cloaks fluttered in the breeze, with red clouds fading into the evening light.

"Well, looks like we're gonna get fucking lucky, eh partner?" The red eyed man looked at the darker skin, teal eyed individual, a large scythe settling into his eager hands. "We have a chance to get three Jinchuuriki, and there will be so many heathens to offer to Jashin-sama!" The other individual grimaced at this, shooting an unhappy glare at his partner.

"Just because there is a variety of targets does not mean you get to offer them all…Besides, there are some rather nice bounties on some of those individuals, Hidan." The silver-haired man snorted in frustration, giving the other man a disdainful look.

"Damn money, it's always about money with you, Kakuzu." The other man spit lightly on the branch, toward his partner. "Money isn't the only thing that matters in the world, Kakuzu. Money won't reward you in the afterlife, you know? The only thing that matters, in this world and the next, is reverence." This drew a laugh from Kakuzu, a sound that was wholly terrifying. The other man merely frowned at his partner's response.

"I have a reverence for money then…Tomorrow we will make a rather lot of it if we do this attack right. We should be ready to strike before dawn, while they are still gathering and beginning to rest." Hidan grunted absently at his partner, and both slipped back into the shadows.

xXxXxXx

Well, that was a huge battle piece. That is the most combat I've ever managed to write in one chapter. I feel thoroughly drained. Also, the next chapter will have less battle, but more interactions of the Konoha ninja, followed up by the long awaited but not yet written, Naruto x Temari moments. Just the start of them, but once we are out of the battles and in the village, there will be much more of that. Continuing in this vein, the next chapter will also be a set-up for a small battle chapter. At the end of the small battle chapter, the next arc will start. I think I'll double post that week, because the small battle chapter is ridiculously small (9 pages!). I'll also be throwing up some comments at the end of the arc for that one, as there have been numerous good ones. Before I go, I would like to once again thank my beta Lazruth, and point out the happy news that we are over 100 favorites! Thanks to everyone out there! Until next time, read and review!


	11. Chapter 11

I do not own Naruto or any affiliated characters in any way, shape, or form. Hope you enjoy!

Just in case, here are some other disclaimers: I make no claims of ownership over Hiromu Arakawa or Noriaki Kubo in real life or their fictional works. May their great works be always appreciated. Kudos to anyone who can figure out who these people are and get the slight jokes I make in the chapter.

xXxXxXx

'Shadows, shadows everywhere, but not a foe in sight…' Shikaku Nara looked over the hastily made fort in the wilderness. It was not much of a hideout, really a simple cavern that had been found in the outcroppings near Takigakure. The cavern went back only about a hundred yards, and was quite narrow near the end of the passage way. Still, the area was surrounded by trees, and thanks to a few well placed logs, there was an impressive, if shabbily constructed, bit of fortifications. Watching Chouza grab trees from the forest and place them like Lincoln Logs was a sight that comforted Shikaku. There had been many missions that the three friends had been placed on together where the fortifications the Akimichi made had saved their lives.

'Just hope our foes don't have any fire users. That tinder will go up in an instant, and the wind tonight has left leaves all over the place for sparking a wildfire…' Turning back to his task, Shikaku placed another glow seal on a tree, far off the ground. The seals were something that he had talked to the Hokage about, as there was a surprising frequency that Shikaku had been sent on night time missions with his allies. At those times, Shikaku found that his jutsu became far less powerful, as darkness was not a shadow that could be manipulated. Shikaku devised the idea of a steadily glowing seal, that would shed light over large areas for a brief amount of time. Minato had agreed with the idea, and began installing them in numerous places, allowing him to increase the security of the village and empower the Nara clan to take on more dangerous missions. The second side effect though had caused Shikaku to hear several angry lectures from his wife, Yoshino. 'Maybe Naruto has something about her being overbearing…hope she never convinces Inoichi's wife to check what I think of my wife.'

As he placed the final seal, a glare of light shot out and covered the clearing in light. All of the tall trees that still stood cast large, imposing shadows over the entirety of the clearing. They formed a number of wide and long shadows that stretched over a half circle towards the encampment. The ground had been left as undisturbed as possible, though the rooting up of several trees had left a great deal of loose dirt. That had in turn been used to conceal mines, crafted from the explosive tags and several kunai and shuriken. Unknown by many, Tsume Inuzuka had a fond desire for fireworks, and was using that hobby for a deadly application. Tsume was busy placing traps, while Kuromaru followed behind, marking the area in the way of any dog. Still, that allowed the group, through Tsume, to know where the emplacements were located. Inoichi stood on top of the hill, his frame still as his mind cast out into the forest. There was a frown formed on his face as he concentrated, his mind having stumbled on something disturbing. Shikaku frowned in a similar fashion, and leapt back towards the clearing, using the trees to avoid Tsume's mines.

Shikaku found the form of his other teammate, Chouza, busily checking over his armor and equipment. He caught his friend reaching back to touch a box of pills at his waist, though the hand trembled as they rested on the contents. 'You won't have to use those, my friend. I'll make sure of it.' Chouza looked up, sensing his comrade's attention.

"All of the seals are in place I see. Do you think there is more trouble coming our way tonight?" Shikaku nodded, his face solemn as he looked down at the ground. Chouza stood up and dusted himself lightly, patting his sword and armor lightly. Again, his hand turned to the pill box strapped to his waist.

"Inoichi seems to be troubled by something. We should probably both go talk to him now." Chouza nodded to his friend and the two moved over to where Inoichi was seated. The man had broken out in a cold sweat, and seemed to be visibly shaking. A fine aura of chakra emanated from the man, and his eyebrows had been drawn down, settling his face into a cringing look. His eyes snapped open when his teammates came within five feet of him, his blue eyes turning to glance over his fellow leaf ninja.

"The battle with the demon ended a while ago, however, there appears to be five individuals who are following both Fugaku and Mikoto. They were unaware of the tail before I informed them. As it is, the pair following seemed to sense my momentary scan and have backed off a ways." Shikaku and Chouza kept their faces neutral, expecting to hear more. "The trackers that were following have enough chakra between them to easily stand against the Hokage, at least from what I can tell from here." Shikaku grimaced at that report. A team of that power, numbering five in number, was the sign of a pentagram formation, a favorite of Iwagakure.

"Do you think that Iwagakure learned of Naruto's presence here? We left quickly, and the marriage was not announced publicly…" Chouza looked towards his skinnier teammate. Inoichi had his eyes focused on Shikaku as well, watching the gears turn in the other man's mind. Shikaku sighed, looking down at the ground as his eyes settled into hard spheres of onyx.

"This is going to be far too troublesome if they did discover our whereabouts. We are not ready for a pentagram formation, nor do we have the necessary elemental affinities to face them if they are holdovers from the last war." Inwardly, Shikaku was already busy compiling different strategies against such a formation. 'We have fire in Fugaku, wind in Mikoto, earth in Chouza, and water with Tsume. We have all the elements but lightning, but without that we are sunk.' Inoichi seemed to be concentrating once more, casting his mind back out over the groups in the field.

"Even if they are holdovers from the last war, we are close to the village. If it came to it, we could ask Takigakure, or those Suna-nin for help in stalling the enemy while Naruto and Sasuke escaped." Shikaku shook his head in denial, looking up at his friend. The look of depression that had flitted across his face had passed quickly.

"Inoichi learned that they are not hostile against Konoha, but I still do not trust them with both Naruto and Sasuke. Those two are important for Konoha's future, so we must do everything to guard them from being taken, even from allies like Suna." Shikaku sighed, pulling his ponytail back once more before looking out over the fortifications. They suddenly did not seem strong enough to withstand the coming storm. "Those ninja are also not strong enough to move on their own yet. Tsume used what knowledge she has of medicinal herbs to help them, but the four of them were still heavily poisoned. The girl was much better for some reason, though without a medic here we won't know why or if she'll recover soon."

"Even still, we should gather as much firepower as we can if we expect to stand up against a pentagram formation…" Chouza's hand had again reached for his pillbox, and for the first time that night, rested on top of the family recipes. Inwardly, the large man was casting his mind back, over the events of the last war. Iwagakure had employed the pentagram formations as a tactical strike and retrieval unit; they were composed of members that were at least chunin and were well trained in at least one of the elements. The groups would then train extensively in combination attacks, drawing out as much power as they could by lining up the different elements. They had been a priority target during the war, and were largely the reasons for Konoha's early losses during the conflict.

"It's not a pentagram formation, Shikaku. I recounted the signatures, focusing in on the targets. There appear to be only two men traveling, but the elemental signatures are set at six, not five." Shikaku grimaced slightly, already discarding several of his combat plans. "Either way, they are not a pentagram formation, though they hold all of the power of such a group." Chouza turned and began walking back towards the rear of the cave. "I'm going to go check on the individuals from Suna again. Perhaps we can get some help from them fighting these unknown individuals." Shikaku looked at the retreating back of the larger man and turned towards Inoichi. Facing an unknown target was not an event that could be easily prepared for in advance. Shikaku either needed more firepower, or more information.

"Inoichi, can you probe the mind of those individuals?" A silent moment passed between the two as the blonde haired man concentrated. The shaking of his head brought frustration out on Shikaku's face, and he reached for the cigarette pocket located on the front of his military vest. Pulling out a single cigarette, the man lit up and took a calming draw. "I'm gonna need you to contact the leader of Takigakure. We are going to need their help in this coming combat, I'm afraid." Tsume walked up from the clearing in time to catch those last words, causing the woman to glare at Shikaku before turning to stare over their preparations.

'Shikaku's worrying too much. Anything that could attempt to make it through my mine field alive had better be immortal.'

xXxXxXx

Naruto sat on a collapsible cot, reclining in the cave. There was little light, save for the emergency seals that Shikaku had placed in the resting area. Beds were set up, and held the currently sleeping forms of the ninja from Suna. All of them were still knocked out it seemed, though there had been some slight stirring from some of the older males.

The younger two foreigners, a girl and a boy, were both older than Naruto, but also appeared to be completely unconscious still. Inoichi had removed the sleeping jutsu after they had verified that the individuals were truly allies. That process still gave Naruto a bit of the shakes. An ability that allowed someone to sift through a person's thoughts, and discover information while you slept terrified the blonde. He realized that Ino would soon be learning such an ability, and really hoped that the girl would leave the boy and his secrets well enough alone. Currently, all of the adults knew of Naruto's burden, but his father had forbidden the children to be told of the Fox until Naruto agreed to have the information disseminated. Still, there was nothing in place if one of the children learned the truth of Naruto's secret.

Sasuke twitched in his sleep at something, dragging Naruto out of his thoughts. His friend had insisted on keeping pace with the adults on the way to the cave, but had ended up passing out soon after they reached the hideaway. Sasuke had pushed himself hard in his training with his father, and then had fought full-throttle against Suien, draining nearly all of his chakra. Naruto watched, a small smile coming to his lips as his friend awoke.

"Looks like you finally decided to rejoin us, Porcupine Hair…" Naruto shot a sly grin at the boy, whose hair was again scattered in a number of directions. Sasuke grimaced, reaching up to pat out the errant strands. His eyes quickly took in the caves, and he looked over to the patients on the other cots. Nodding at this, he flicked his gaze back to Naruto.

"How long have I been out?" Sasuke croaked from a dry throat. Reaching next to his bed, a canteen was hastily opened and poured down a waiting throat.

"About an hour, maybe two…You really pushed yourself back there to save me." Sasuke lowered the canteen and sent a haughty smirk at Naruto. "Why did you do that? We were being trained to escape situations like that, not run towards them!" Sasuke's smile faltered at the yell of his friend, and he looked away.

"My father told me that my family had been assigned to protect the Hokage's son. Even I was being trained in how to do that. If I had run away, I would have brought disgrace to my family name, and left my only friend to the mercy of an enemy." Sasuke looked up again, his gaze of determination and sadness locking onto Naruto's surprised visage. "Could you have done that, Naruto?" This time, it was Naruto who turned his gaze away, looking back over the sleeping forms of the Suna-nin. As he did, he noticed that one of them was sitting up.

It was a man, with a turban covering his head. He seemed to still be wearing a flak jacket, and had a muscular build to his frame. "Hey, Sasuke, I think one of them just woke up. We should go and talk to him, get him to tell us what's going on." The other boy nodded silently, pushing himself to his feet. He wobbled slightly, still exhausted from the day's workout, but managed to make it over to the bed. A man with tan skin and red markings on the right side of his face stared at the two youth's. A turban covered the left side of his face from view, and the shadows cast by the seal-light hid the shape of the man's mouth and jaw.

"Where are we? Last I remember, we were all being ambushed by that Takigakure ninja…" The man's gaze spotted a person tied up in a corner, suppression seals laced heavily over the figure. "Guess you two managed to take him out for us…thanks for that. What are your names?" The two boys glanced between themselves, obviously unsure of how they should respond to a foreign ninja. "I see no headbands, so you obviously have not graduated from an academy yet. Still, to take on a trained ninja in armed combat, your skills must be at least slightly impressive." Again, the look flashed between the boys, and Baki sighed heavily. 'Guess even complimenting them did not get them to break…usually when you praise a young student they are willing to spill just about anything, unless they come from a prestigious clan.' Baki straightened, and looked at the boys questioningly. "My name is Baki, and I am a ninja from Suna sent to escort the daughter of the Kazekage to the meeting with Takigakure." This got a reaction from the two silent children, who began to look over the man once more, judging his appearance.

"I'm Naruto Namikaze, son of Minato Namikaze. I greet you in the name of Konoha." The boy bowed formally, though the words seemed stiff and rehearsed as he delivered them. Rising up again, the boy looked Baki dead in the eyes, "Why was a jonin of Suna so easily defeated by a ninja of Takigakure? How did you get poisoned badly enough to limit your combat skills?" At first, Baki was angry at the questions of the brat, son of a Kage or not. At the mention of poison though, the man stiffened considerably.

"Mukade…that traitorous bastard…" Sasuke recognized the name, and his eyes suddenly leapt to life, changing quickly into the Sharingan.

"Mukade was the name of your ally, back at the clearing where you awoke the first time. My parent's left with him…what could he have done?" Baki snorted, upset that he had allowed himself to reveal that much to a young punk.

"Mukade is a master of genjutsu and poison techniques. He is probably going to use genjutsu to lure your parents off guard, then attack with a poison technique. That's his method, and why he was promoted so early to jonin." Baki felt bad for telling the boy this news, but it was better he heard this now, so that when he saw the bodies he would be prepared. The last thing the man expected was for the raven haired child to start chuckling.

"My parents will be fine then. They are the clan heads of the Uchiha Clan; No genjutsu can catch the Sharingan off guard." Baki's eyes flew open, scanning the kid in front of him once more. The boy appeared to be no more than seven or eight, hardly old enough to enter the ninja academy.

'But if he's from the Uchiha Clan's main family, there is no telling what he's capable of…' Baki lessened his gaze a bit, and searched his surroundings, looking over his missing gear and equipment. "They removed our gear when we came in I see…do you know the status of the rest of my group?" Naruto and Sasuke nodded at this, though it was Naruto who spoke up first.

"No one else has come to this place since we arrived, and you are the first to wake up. You and the girl had the lowest level of poisoning, but the other boy was by far the worst." A puzzled look passed over Naruto's face, and he leaned close to whisper in a conspiratorial tone. "Do you know why he seemed to be wearing make-up and black clothing? He's not gothic, is he?" A chuckle escaped the larger man, who shook his head from side to side. Naruto seemed to relax a bit at this, and leaned back to notice a smiling look on Sasuke's face.

"That is in fact war-paint that he is wearing. His name is Kankuro, and he is the eldest male of the Kazekage. He recently decided to become the new puppet master for Sunagakure." The man paused, looking to see if the news had any effect. The blonde for his part seemed to remain smiling, a doubtful expression rooted in place. "As for the girl, her name is Temari. Your future wife…" That got the response Baki was looking for; the face of both boys faulted, and Naruto could not stop himself from glancing over at the prone form.

Much of the body was covered by a sheet, but Naruto could just make out the gentle rise and fall of the girl's chest. Her hair had been taken down, and dirty blonde locks covered one half of her face. Dirt smudged the other side of it, and Naruto noticed that her skin looked creamy smooth where the covering tapered off. Sasuke grunted at his friend's staring, though the boy did not stop once he started.

"Well, this is great. Now I'll have two troublesome blondes to look after…" Naruto whipped around to face his friend, who was smirking lightly. His eyes twinkled with merriment as he continued, cutting off Naruto's reply, "…but, you better watch out. If you can't keep Ino away, everyone will say you just have a thing for the blonde women." Naruto nearly had an apoplexy at this, his eyes' going wide and his skin flushing a very bright tomato red.

"You…You take that back right now, Uchiha!" Naruto jumped at his friend, who dodged out of the way. In an instant, the two were up and running, dodging among the patients and leaving the improvised ward.

"Those two brats are too loud…people are trying to rest, you know?" Baki was surprised to see Kankuro raising himself from the bed. His makeup was removed, and brown spiky hair was shooting all over the place.

"I'm surprised you're awake. They said you had been poisoned really badly…" Kankuro smiled lightly and whipped himself out of bed. He landed smoothly on the ground and began to walk over to his leader's bedside.

"A practitioner of the puppet arts is highly trained in the art of poison. One of the first things that I was taught were the different poisons available in the village and how to detect them. But, before they take on any student, the individual must go through a painful process of inuring themselves to the most famous poisons of Sunagakure." Kankuro shrugged as he formed chakra into the palm of his hand, running it over Baki's chest quickly. "I can sense the amount of poison in my system already, and can identify the type of it as well. It's a powerful variant of Chiyo-sama's, but I developed a resistance to this as well." Surprise was etched onto Baki's face as he watched the boy move, feeling the immediate relief of poison leaving his system.

"If you have this many advanced skills, why have you not graduated from the academy yet?" Kankuro looked down and away from the man, his hands moving back to his side. The feeling of the poison had passed completely though, and Baki kicked his legs off the cot, coming to a sitting position. When the boy spoke, it was in a quiet tone full of sadness.

"I graduated from the academy when I was seven. At least, I should have. My father wanted me to become a puppet master though, and to wait and form a team with Temari and Gaara. So I started the process, training for the last three years with Chiyo-sama." The boy paused, and returned his eyes to Baki's. "I haven't really seen my home in the last three years while I trained." Baki nodded silently in understanding. Such was the way of the ninja.

"You should see to your sister. They said the poisoning was light, but she will not have the benefits of your training." Kankuro turned, about to leave, but Baki placed a restraining hand on the boy's shoulder. "You should be proud of what you have accomplished, and of the fact that you can help those close to you." Baki seemed to stare into Kankuro's mind as he held the boy for that moment, releasing his hand when the boy smiled lightly in return.

Baki watched for a second before rising from his bed. He may have all of his ninja clothes, but he was still missing his gear, as were his charges. 'Kankuro and Temari should both have graduated by now, but they are being held back…Kanbei, what are you planning?' Baki shook off those thoughts as he brought his mind to the task at hand. Mukade had betrayed the group, and had endangered the mission. Then again, it came as little of a surprise to the man, based on that night at the outpost.

_The breeze had been whistling pleasantly the entire night, and the moon was nearly full as Baki sat atop the roof of the outpost barracks. There had been little in the area, nothing more than a supply depot and a small bar to entertain the Suna group. Not that Baki was allowing himself to enjoy those benefits. He had decided to give both Isago and Mukade a break from the constant vigil. This was possibly one of the last times that the group would get to rest before moving along the border. _

_Leaning back in the cool night air, Baki craned his neck back to observe the sky. The air was clear, not a cloud in sight, and the evening breeze brining in the smell of fried foods at the local eatery. Breathing in the scent, he turned to look at the small eatery, wondering what the cooks were preparing. The cuisine at the outpost could not hardly be called fine dining, but it was still fairly good provisions. 'Though maybe not as good as what Mukade has been making for us thus far…' Baki smiled at the thought, thinking on the skills of the young man. _

'_I really have not read too much on the kid, but he made jonin at the age of seventeen he states. That is extraordinarily young for someone to reach my rank, but he did take on a number of dangerous assassination missions.' This brought a grim look to the man's face. All of the data about those missions had stated that the targets had been double crossers to the village. It worried Baki only because in his experience, the more one associated with traitors the more likely one was to consider defection. Suna had a remarkably low level of betrayal within the ninja village, but the rate for those outside the village was historically high. _

_Movement by the outskirts of the encampment caught Baki's attention. The speed of the individual, combined with their movements, was not something that a samurai could have spotted. A ninja jonin though was able to pick out the movements of a shinobi with ease. Baki felt a chill go down his spine as he watched the figure disappear into the nearby bar. _

'_If I leave the children, there will be no one protecting them while I investigate.' Baki cursed as he watched the spot where the figure had disappeared, unsure of what took priority. 'Is it better to ensure the safety of my charges passively, or should I take an active role in protection?' As the thoughts traipsed through his head, he watched as the figure appeared again, carrying a figure over one shoulder. The target leapt away into the night, slipping once more past the samurai guards with ease. _

_Baki stretched his consciousness as far as was possible, following the figure with his sensing skills. After a few tense moments, Baki realized the figure had left the area, and that they had been carrying a normal individual, not trained in the arts of ninjutsu. 'It could have been a routine assassination mission I suppose…nothing to alter our course over as long as we are well and gone before first light.' _

_In the morning, Baki had looked over his two subordinates, surprised to find a slightly tired looking Isago and Mukade. "I had hoped that the two of you would have stayed away from the bar last night, following my example…" Isago grinned sheepishly, and Mukade in turn had a slight blush while staring pointedly at his sandals. The two reeked of alcohol still, though they were completely sober as confirmed by Mukade. Purging poison from the body was similar in a sense to purging alcohol. This allowed the young jonin to help his senior and himself, removing the threat of a hangover from the picture. "…then again, I'm not that surprised that you would do this, Isago. I hadn't pegged you for the drinking type though, Mukade." Baki smiled as the youth blushed more in embarrassment, though he noticed a questioning look on Isago's face. A silent moment of communication passed between the two, and Baki felt his stomach tighten lightly in response. "Whatever the case, I am glad to see you two got some rest and are ready to depart for our journey along the border. Let's go wake the kids so we can head out." The two nodded and turned and left from the room. Before long, the group was on its way, leaping through the trees with a small security detachment. _

_Baki found himself taking point with Isago, leaving the rear to Mukade and the center of the formation to the patrol group. "Isago, what did you notice earlier?" The man stiffened, and cast a quick glance around him as they leapt through the foliage. _

"_I was at the bar the entire time last night. Mukade never showed up even once, though he still reeked of booze this morning. While it could be that I was just too far gone to notice him, I'm pretty sure that he never entered that bar." Baki felt the cold shiver race down his spine again and he turned a questioning look at his long time partner. _

"_Tell me again, how did Mukade take out all of those targets for assassination?" Baki kept his voice neutral as he said this, but his hands were shaking slightly. _

"_He sidled up to those betrayers, making them believe that he was part of their cause. Then, in the night, he would poison them and leave a genjutsu snare of the target remaining healthy for several days, at least until the damage had progressed far enough. Then, he would leave as silently as he had arrived." Baki swallowed dryly, looking back at Isago's eyes. _

"_Last night, I saw a figure disappear into the bar you were in, and leave few moments later with a villager on one shoulder. If what you said is correct, then Mukade might be a double agent. I think we need to heighten our guard a little, Isago." The other man nodded, and turned to give a smile to his older friend. _

"_Well, if you have to worry about someone stabbing you in the back, the best response is to keep it is far away from them as possible. Let's see how fast we can push this crew, shall we?" Baki smirked and took off with Isago, the two blurring as the wind heightened their body flicker technique to new levels. _

A crunching sound rested the jonin from his memories. Baki heard movement coming from the direction of the cave, and saw a large man in samurai armor approach his bedside. The man had his hands resting on the shoulders of both Naruto and Sasuke, and seemed to be restraining the two from confronting one another. It did nothing though to silence the verbal sparring that was being exchanged between the two, but Baki paid it little attention. It seemed to largely be the normal juvenile jibes of boys their age. Baki instead focused on the giant of a man guiding the two back to the cavern walls. On his chest was the kanji for the word food, and a large sword was strapped to his side. The man had markings similar to Baki's, in a vertical fashion, on both sides of a round face. Long hair pushed against a headband, and was swept back into a ponytail like fashion. A symbol of the Leaf Village stood out boldly on the front of the headband, and small circular earrings glinted in both of the man's ears. 'So, they sent the Ino-Shika-Cho trio as part of the escort mission…that's quite a bit of firepower to throw out there…' Another sound, this time a groan, cut through the jonin's thoughts. He looked across the cave to see Temari waking from her slumber, her eyes fluttering open to look around the dimly lit cavern.

"Hey sis, thought I'd never get you to wake up…" Kankuro smiled down at his sister, a light sheen of sweat showing on his skin.

"Kankuro, what are we doing here? Last I remember, we had just met up with the Konoha shinobi…" She coughed once or twice, doubled over in the bed. As she did, she noticed that someone had taken her hair out of their ponytails, and had straightened her hair. 'Wonder who went to that trouble…' She turned and took in the approaching figures, her gaze settling on the figure of a blonde boy and a raven haired youth. 'Hm…one of those two must be the son of the Hokage…I hope it's the black haired kid, he looks a little more cute than the blonde.' A slight moue formed on the girl's lips. 'Still, both of them are way too young. They don't even seem to be older than Kankuro…but they look older than Gaara at least.' She picked up on their conversation as they drew closer, and smiled at their antics. As they got closer though, her coughing started up once more, and she reached for a canteen that was placed next to the cot.

"Shut up, Sasuke! Just because the Uchiha like to mess with women doesn't mean I will!" The blonde boy snorted in derision, and seemed to want to reach out and strangle the raven haired youth. "Seriously, you and your clan traditions are just plain disgusting. There's no way the Konoha council would let you revive those old traditions of having four wives either, that's just nuts!" Sasuke merely smirked at his friend.

"I'm sorry, did you say something Naruto? I didn't hear you…" Naruto growled at his friend, trying to escape the large hand that held the two apart.

"I am getting so sick of your flip attitude, you know that?" Sasuke merely smirked at his friend, but stopped when he noticed the awakened Temari. Sasuke took in the girl's appearance, and felt a slight blush creep to his cheeks. The older girl was definitely pretty, and the searching look in her eyes had the boy straightening his spine a little.

"Enjoying the view, Sasuke?" This time, Naruto had the smug voice, though there was a slight edge of warning tinting it as well. The other boy shook himself quickly and turned a petulant look at his friend.

"Yeah, you better be careful, otherwise I'll steal her away from you…" Sasuke whispered this as they drew close, and smirked at the look of false betrayal that crossed Naruto's face. Of course Sasuke would never do that, which was the only reason the two could joke about such a low blow. Still, it was fun to tease a friend.

"You two need to stay here with the other children while we prepare the defenses." The stern voice of Chouza cut the two off from anymore as they were pushed gently towards Temari and Kankuro. "I see that you have awakened Baki-san. If you are well enough, I will take you to Shikaku to run through the defenses and strategies we have for the coming battle." Baki nodded and rose, leaving with the giant man. Kankuro wasted no time as he turned to the two boys, his gaze already saying that they had been judged and found wanting.

"So, which one you two brats is supposed to be marrying my sister?" Kankuro gruffly bit out as he stared down the duo. To his surprise the two gave him an equal glare in return. 'They are both way too young, but the official marriage isn't for a number of years, I hear. Still, glad to see that they have at least some spine.' Kankuro's glare remained steady, and the tension quickly began to mount.

"That's me, you face-paint wearing freak!" The blonde roared suddenly to life, catching the older boy off guard. Kankuro for his part found his hands form into fists, and he spread his legs slightly, preparing to leap at the boy. His next statement though gave the boy pause, "My name is Naruto Namikaze, and if you got a problem with me you can just take a ticket. First person I'm taking out around here is a certain Uchiha…" Sasuke smirked and jumped away from his friend's side. His timing was perfect as Naruto jumped into midair, missing his chance at a perfect headlock.

'Seems like he's still a little riled up about before…Oh well, can't be helped.' Sasuke smiled at the other two ninja, turning his eyes on Kankuro first. "Forgive Naruto, he may be the son of a Kage, but he takes after his mother more than his father. My name is Sasuke Uchiha, the second heir to the Uchiha Clan." Kankuro had recovered himself by now, and managed to nod politely to the boy. Even in Suna, the Uchiha were famous for their prowess and battle acumen.

"My name is Kankuro Sabaku, and this is Temari Sabaku." The girl in question had just finished draining her canteen, and she looked hesitantly over the two youths. Finding her voice, Temari turned towards Naruto.

"Do you know what happened to my younger brother? He was traveling with us before we had to leave him behind in the forest…The demon attack just came out of nowhere." Naruto stiffened slightly before shaking his head in the negative.

"Sorry, but I only know that a bunch of the people that were traveling with us had set out to fight a demon. I don't know if your brother was near there, but the people that went to deal with the attack would probably have taken care of him if they discovered him." Before Naruto could say anything more though, there came the sound of hurrying footsteps. In an instant, Baki was once more before the group of children.

"A survival squad just came in, they are carrying Gaara. Kankuro, Temari, come with me to check on him. We don't know how he'll react when he recovers, so I would like it if you were both there." Sasuke jumped up from his place on the cot at this and leapt over to Baki.

"Who was in this squad? Were my parents there?" Baki nodded, and the boy was quickly sprinting down the cavern hall.

"Temari, can you come with us?" The girl shook her head slightly, and gave Kankuro a pointed look. The boy nodded and disappeared down the hall with a frowning Baki.

"So much for protecting me…" Naruto trailed lightly under his breath, but was surprised when Kankuro also went racing past him, knocking him slightly askew. Temari chuckled under her breath at the sight, but began coughing roughly once more.

"Here, drink some more of this, you'll need it." Temari opened her eyes as the coughing subsided to find Naruto passing her his canteen, largely full of water. She took the offered item, and downed more of the liquid. She then remembered that she had failed to take her daily dose of medicine, conserving it usually for the end of the day. She looked around, trying to spot her gear, and noticed that Baki had dropped off her pack and fan when he had returned just moments ago. Stooping down to it, she pulled out a packet of pills and swallowed one of the things. Over the last few days, she had found herself hating the pills less as she found a side benefit of them; the relieved minor aches and pains, such as the ones that developed when one was traveling for days on end.

Relief washed over her body as the chakra enhanced medicine kicked in, soothing her throat and limbs. Her eyes shut in bliss for a moment, taking in the euphoric feeling. Naruto for his part was blushing madly at the sight of the older girl acting in this manner, but quickly schooled his features as she turned to look at him.

Her eyes played over the basic garb that the boy was wearing, a mesh shirt and leggings poking out from underneath a gray top and pants. The blonde had his hair back behind a bandana, most of the cloth currently hanging idly to the side. A similar colored mask also pooled around the boy's neck, probably waiting to be pulled up in a moment's notice. 'He looks like he could disappear into the cavern wall…which is probably the point of the outfit.' Temari smiled as she took in the whisker marks on his cheeks. Now that she got closer to the kid, she could see he was cute, not handsome, but cute.

"We have your gear here, but there is also a similar outfit to mine stocked and ready for you as well. The size might not be the best match, but it could help us blend in if things get nasty upstairs…" Temari jolted out of her examination, surprised by the boy talking again. "My name is Naruto by the way, not sure if you caught that in the exchange there…I hope you're not mad, but Tsume told me to take care of you all while the adults handled the preparations, so I took down your hair for you." Naruto blushed, looking away from the girl. This brought a slight smile to Temari's lips.

'Even if we are being forced into this, at least he seems like a sweet enough kid. Who knows, eight years just might make him handsome too…' Temari smiled at the kid out of the corner of her eye, taking a draw from the canteen. "Not too many people are allowed to brush out my hair you know…the last one to get the chance was my mother." Naruto glanced up from this, a look of worry on his face.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to be presumptuous. It's just that there was a lot of twigs and stuff that had fallen in your hair, and I didn't want you to be uncomfortable when you slept." The boy looked sideways away from her again. "I was also just worried about the others…Your brother; he is the demon container for your village, right?" Temari jerked back as if visibly slapped. 'What does this kid know about demon containers?'

"I'm going to tell you right now, as it is part of the treaty conditions with Konoha. I'm the container for Konoha, the Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox." Now Temari felt her eyes go wide, and her jaw slightly loosen. "There are terms to the treaty that my father asked me to discuss with you." The girl nodded once or twice, shock and fear registering in her eyes.

xXxXxXx

Sasuke ran to the top of the cave, looking out over the battle ground. Nothing had happened yet, but he activated his Sharingan again, noticing the numerous traps and improvised explosives that had been created. Behind him, he heard the movement of the Sand-nins, but he paid them no mind. All of his attention right now was focused on searching the clearing, on finding his parents. He noticed a slight flickering light in the tree tops, orange against the bright white light of the flare seals. 'That's got to be them…'

The light grew into the form of a blade, and Fugaku Uchiha stepped lightly onto a branch at the edge of the clearing. Next to him was Mikoto Uchiha, her black hair and red eye's searching the area, noting everything in an instant. Beside her was a girl who seemed around nineteen, her mint colored blue hair shining in the odd lighting. The three jumped down into the clearing and filed into a single column. Sasuke noted two more individuals, one with spiky orange hair and a damaged shikakusho, and another with long blonde hair. The first stood about the same height as Fugaku, and had muscles rippling over every section of his body. The light showed numerous cuts and scrapes on the man's form, and long gash ran down his exposed arm. The blood seemed to have clotted already from the wound, but it still looked rather nasty. The other shoulder of the man carried what seemed to be a child, probably no older than Naruto or Sasuke, that was covered in what seemed to be sand. It pooled off of the kid as they walked, leaving a trail behind the group. The other individual stood about a head and a half taller than Sasuke, and wore a red cloak over his body. Black clothes shown from underneath, and from here Sasuke could make out that it was a boy that was approaching. Sasuke grimaced after a moment, feeling the Sharingan leave his eyes.

'Guess I still have a long way to go before I can use that all of the time…but at least I figured out how to call on it at will now.' The boy smiled happily as his father approached the group. Sasuke moved to embrace him, but his father pushed him away lightly.

"Not now son, you need to stay with the other kids in the back of the cavern. We have to make sure the fort is ready for our enemies." Fugaku ruffled the boy's hair, but pushed him along with Fuu and the others.

"Come on, kid. I'll be watching over you and your group, along with my teammates." The mint haired girl had a voice that seemed chipper, if a little tired. Sasuke frowned at this, turning to look the girl over once more.

"You don't look that strong, especially if a little punk like that gave you so much trouble!" Fuu felt a wicked grin grow onto her face and Sasuke's stomach dropped. 'This woman is far scarier than Tsume-san…guess Naruto is right about my flippant attitude being annoying.' Moving into a respectful pose, Sasuke bowed deeply. "I apologize miss, I guess I'm just a little tired out from the day's activities." Fuu blinked once or twice at being called miss, but then moved in and wrapped an arm around Sasuke, smiling to herself.

"You know, you and that Naruto kid aren't half bad. A girl could get used to being treated like a normal person by more people." Sasuke wondered what the woman was talking about, but he didn't really much care. She was no longer shooting him a death glare, so his goal was accomplished. "Come on, I need to rest a bit in the ward you have set up, and then get started on helping the others out with preparations." The hand on Sasuke's shoulder was firm as it guided him back to the rear of the complex. The other two figures followed closely behind, with Baki and Kankuro bringing up the rear.

"These other two are my squad mates, Noriaki and Hiruma. They are going to need some minor attention from whatever medic you have on hand." Sasuke turned and looked up at the woman.

"The only medic we have is my mom. All we have at the moment are some medicinal herbs, so I hope that's alright." Fuu grimaced slightly before shrugging.

"Guess it can't be helped. One Sharingan should be enough to help with the battle formation, so she'll probably be down soon to look over the various injuries." She turned a questioning gaze on the kid. "Got any soldier pills? Those would be outrageously useful at the moment." Sasuke nodded once, and the girl above her smirked. "God I love those things, they really make you feel alive, you know?" Chuckles came from her teammates, shaking their heads at their leader's antics. It was around this time that the group reached the improvised ward at the back of the cave. Sasuke and Fuu both noticed immediately how close Naruto and Temari were sitting. Not wanting to ruin the moment, the majority of the group stayed quiet to watch the kids until they noticed their presence. Fuu was not part of the majority.

"Sheesh, I leave for half a night and you're already talking to some other pretty girl?" Naruto and Temari nearly jumped apart, blushes and guilty looks covering their faces. "I thought we shared something special when we were by that campfire, but now you toss me aside for some younger woman…" Fuu's voice was pouting and flirtatious, but the sardonic grin on her face gave it away. The grin only grew as the two kids stammered and tried to explain themselves.

"Hey come on Fuu, we were talking about important stuff you know?" The girl's grin grew wider. "Really important, stuff for the treaty, you know?" The girl's teeth started to show, and her eyes glinted mischievously.

"Oh, just what kind of important stuff were you discussing? Something really important for a marriage treaty, huh…I wonder what these two were so serious about, all alone?" Fuu's eyes slid over to Sasuke, who was chuckling lightly under his breath. The rest of the group had the decency to roll their eyes at the antics, hoping the girl would finish torturing the two kids.

"Look lady, I don't know who you are, but he's telling the truth!" Kankuro grimaced slightly as he heard Temari's voice. Apparently the girl was up and active enough to be angry. Fuu though just seemed to shrug off the yelling, and merely fixed the younger girl with an annoyed look.

"Oh pipe down, you little brat. Jeez, what is it with this group calling me miss and lady…Do I look like that to you guys?" This was shot at Noriaki and Hiruma, both of which shook their heads vigorously. Both of them knew not to bring up age around their partner; she was very sensitive about how old she appeared.

"Fuu-san, may we see Gaara? I would like to look over him some before we return to help with the preparations." Baki approached the bedside of Temari, cutting off the bantering.

"Sure. Hiruma, set up a few privacy seals, will you? Naruto, I want you and Sasuke to go see if you can get Mikoto down here, okay?" The two boys frowned at first, but shrugged and walked up the cavern. Hiruma was already moving, placing four kunai around a few of cots. Noriaki for his part had lowered Gaara down onto one of the cots, and was dusting himself off from the various flecks of sand. A brief flash ignited the seals, and Baki turned to face Fuu.

"We need to know what happened to Gaara. Specifically, we need to know how damaged the seal has become." Fuu shook her head from side to side.

"You might want to get comfortable. This is going to take a while…"

xXxXxXx

Gaara awoke in a narrow hallway. A hissing sound came from every direction, like the sound of falling sand. As he looked around, he noticed shards of glass littering the floor, mixed in among the sand that littered the alabaster floor. The walls and ceiling were a similar alabaster color, and Gaara noticed, for the first time, a slight breeze blowing through his hair. It was strange though; his hair moved and he was aware of its movement, but he had no sensation of feeling.

Pushing himself to his feet, Gaara noted that he was wearing his normal clothes, and that he seemed unharmed. His gourd though was not on his back, something that was very troubling.

'I promised Mother that I would carry that with me at all times…' The thought brought racing realization back to the child. He remembered falling in the clearing, wishing everyone to die. Wishing to prove to himself, and to the world, that he deserved to exist. Brief flashes accompanied this; a fight against strange foes, one of which smelled like him, who held the same curse. Of him being spared, and of the words spoken so silently by the girl who had spared him.

"_I know it hurts, being alone. But you have family still…you should use this power to protect them, as it protects you. Don't go into the darkness, because once you do, it takes a great light to return…__You will find that your life has the greatest meaning when you protect what you care for…"_

'That girl…she was the one that was like me…yet she spoke of protection…of love…' Flashes of Yashamaru played quickly across the boy's mind. Gaara screamed, clutching his head, willing the images to leave him.

"_I believe she loved you so very much…Your mother's will remained in the sand to protect you…Deep down inside, I must have always resented you…You were never loved…This is it, Please Die." _

The phantasms shuddered to a halt as Gaara remembered Yashamaru's final act of betrayal. 'Of my father's betrayal…There is no one in my family who cares for me…' Echoes came from somewhere down the hallway, yawning black as night in front of him. Sand swirled around his feet where Gaara knelt, as if looking for guidance from heaven. Drying tears that he could not feel, but was aware of nonetheless, the boy rose and followed the echoes. As he did, he came to a place where a great hourglass stood in a vast room, centered and light from golden sand held within. The great timepiece was too large to see either edge of the object, and reached up limitlessly towards the sky.

Gaara noticed a small boy, his arms wrapped around a woman, kneeling in the lower half of the glass. Sand was wrapped around the figures, and covered them both. The woman was covered up to her waist, but the boy was covered up to his head. The hair on the boy was red, and black circles ringed around the boy's face. Sudden realization struck Gaara.

'That's me…and that woman must be my mother!' Sand continued to pour from within the time glass as Gaara raced forwards, placing his hands on the glass. As he did, he noticed his body moved through the barrier effortlessly. Sand did not shift as the boy passed, sprinting towards the figures, though Gaara did not notice this fact. He was focused on reaching his mother, on discovering the truth of Yashamaru's words. Gaara ran up to the pair, running to embrace his mother.

The boy fell through her, exactly like the glass of the hourglass. Still, he turned when he heard her speak lovingly to the form in her arms. "Gaara, you have to wake up my son. If you don't, we'll both end up trapped in here…I know it hurts, being outside, but you have to wake up. If you don't, we'll never be able to see one another again…" The ghostly boy looked on as his mother's hand rose and fell, stroking softly through the doppelganger's hair. Swallowing once, Gaara moved to his body, gingerly placing one hand onto his form. A sudden tugging motion yanked at the boy, and in an instant he became aware of the contact of the sand all around him, pressing close against his form. He also became aware of the hand still stroking his hair, and looked up into the soft eyes of his mother.

"You heard me…I'm so glad." Tears glistened at the girls eyes, and she looked down lovingly at her son. "You have to go now…I'll show you the way out…" The woman picked up her son, carrying him through the thickening sand. The level of sand now reached around the woman's thighs as she stood, and a hissing sound seemed to be heard.

"Mother, what's happening? Why am I here?" The woman smiled sweetly at her son, though her eyes held a great sadness.

"When Shukaku was sealed inside of you, my mind and body were made into a living sacrifice, along with you. While you are awake, I am kept here, in this hourglass, holding back the sand from overcoming this container…When you sleep, I sleep as well, getting to rest from keeping the sand at bay." A whirling sound was heard, accompanied by the great rushing sound of a sandstorm. Sand whipped at the pair, but seemed to coalesce into a figure in front of the two.

"When she sleeps, I get to come out and do what I want with her…and the best part is, you usually get to watch and feel everything I do…" Sand had formed into the shape of a man, and it took on now the appearance of Gaara's father, the Kazekage. The man though was not as he normally appeared; symbols shifted sickeningly along his limbs, and his eyes spun with hatred, golden and pierced by a cross-like symbol. His form was bare, and tendrils of sand slipped from the man, reaching out to caress the woman's cheek. As they passed, blood formed in its wake, though that healed in a miraculous instant.

"Shukaku…we had an agreement…Since Gaara willingly released you this time, you would do nothing to harm the boy, or myself." Fear laced her voice, and a quaver ran through her arms where she held Gaara. The sand demon smiled, and his mouth revealed fang like teeth that were littered with blood and gore.

"You sound so excited though, Karura…" The tendrils slithered over the woman, reaching under clothes, and sliding over the woman's breasts and down her stomach. The woman stood her ground, not flinching but fixing a hard glare at the demon. The creature tsked sharply, withdrawing the sand quickly from her form. "Fine…have your way. But the next time your son wanders into my domain so lightly, he had better be prepared to face me on his own…" The sand crumbled and whirled back to the top of the hourglass. Gaara shook in his mother's arms, as she walked him towards the edge of the hourglass.

"Why did that thing look like Father?" The boy in her arms was trembling in fear. Gaara had never felt such a powerful desire to cause harm and pain directed at him, even by the villagers.

"It did that to cause the greatest harm to us. But, as long as you remain awake, it cannot harm me, or you." The woman placed the boy effortlessly through the glass, somehow able to pass through it with ease. "Gaara, you must not come here again willingly, not until you are much stronger. Do you understand me?" The boy looked up at her, fear and sadness in his eyes.

"Why? Do you not want to see me again, Mother?" The woman smiled sadly at her son, and reached through the barrier to place a comforting hand on the boy's cheek.

"Of course I want to see you again. You are my son, and I love you very much. But every time you come here, you weaken the seal on Shukaku. If you ever willingly fall asleep again, you will risk damaging the seal more, allowing the demon to escape." Tears ran down her face, and the figure reached through the ephemeral glass to embrace the boy. "I love you, Gaara, but I do not want this demon to consume you. If you wait to see me again, you will be able to free us both from Shukaku and I will be able to rest in peace. If not, I fear what may happen to us and our family…" The boy looked away sharply at the word family, tears once more tracing down his face.

"Family…we don't have a family…Father sent Yashamaru to kill me…Kankuro and Temari are both afraid of me…" Karura pulled back from her son and placed her hand once more on the boy's cheek.

"Have you given them a reason to not fear you? Gaara, you can control the sand of the Shukaku if you try. That will give you the ability to use it to protect, rather than kill. That is what I want your sand to do for others…" The boy still did not seem convinced, his eyes full of doubt as he turned to his mother.

"Why did you name me Gaara?" The woman blinked once or twice, before a smile returned to her face.

"I named you Gaara because of the meaning in the characters…I named you to be my precious love, as precious as the finest silk threads…" Gaara's eyes went wide, and tears began to stream down his face. "I have always loved you my son, despite what others may tell you. Now go, our time is drawing short." The boy smiled weakly, tears glistening on his cheeks. He nodded once before turning to leave. As he did, a gravelly voice called out from behind him.

"Sleep well Gaara…your mother and I hope to see you soon…" The boy did not look back as he ran from the room, though a large eye watched him from within the sand. A crunching noise pervaded the hall as the boy left; it sounded like the grinding of bones being crushed.

xXxXxXx

That is the longest chapter to date, and is one of the last chapters in this mini arc. I apologize for the long wait in updating, but school and applications to study abroad last year took over my time for the majority of the semester. Starting from this week though, I should be able to repost every Monday with luck. Extra bonus, my summer is rather free, so the weekly updates will continue this time. Expect a week or two break at the start of May though, final exams are hell for everyone. Hope to see some return readers in the weeks to come, and as always read and review!.


	12. Chapter 12

Bit of a surprise for everyone, as exams are barring down on me harder than expected, I decided to push through and deliver the story in it's completion before the end of the semester (had to in order to fulfill a promise I made a friend). As such, you get a double post this week, and then no posting for about two months while I get settled into summer and get a bit of a back log of work done to help prevent future shortages. Hope this makes up for my lack of posting the last couple months, and be sure that there will be some definite sequels coming (I give you the title of the next one in the next chapter, also posted today). Hope that all of you enjoy the work, and as always, read and review!

I do not own Naruto or any affiliated characters in any way, shape, or form. Hope you enjoy!

Just in case, here are some other disclaimers: I make no claims of ownership over Hiromu Arakawa or Noriaki Kubo in real life or their fictional works. May their great works be always appreciated. Kudos to anyone who can figure out who these people are and get the slight jokes I make in the chapter.

xXxXxXx

Hidan had a look of complete boredom on his face as Kakuzu patiently slithered an eyeball from under his robes out onto the tree in front of him. The eye twitched right and left, animated on a single thread of the ex-Takigakure ninja's strange body. It was a simple brown eye, and looked to be freshly plucked from a corpse. In the dirt lay a broken and bleeding body of a Suna-ninja, one that Hidan had offered to Jashin-sama only a short while ago.

'Figures a traitor would die so quickly…that barely even counted as a sacrifice. I'll have to do better when we find our targets.' Hidan fiddled with his scythe, running a cloth up and down the chain and surface, cleaning off the fresh blood. His eyes were brooding and impatient; Kakuzu knew the two of them were immortal, so why did he always take so damned long to complete a mission? "Kakuzu, why the hell are we not just rushing in and killing these heathens, huh? I mean, I know you are a complete pansy ass shit, but I hate waiting!" His partner remained completely passive, focused only on the moving stalk.

"Listen, I don't want to rush in and face a heavily armed position unprepared. If you hadn't noticed, a few of those members we're chasing are Uchiha…the same as Master." Kakuzu was completely focused on his task, unwilling to rise to the barb of his partner as he searched the clearing in front of him.

"Uchiha? I thought that pansy of a leader of ours was going to destroy that heathenish clan?" Hidan had not noticed the special Uchiha chakra, and was fairly annoyed at himself for missing the detail. Though the immortal was loath to admit it, the truth was that he feared the eyes of that clan. They made the powers of Jashin-sama seem as nothing before their exposed might.

"Apparently a few will have escaped. He will want to know of this development, and will need to be informed quickly." Hidan grimaced as he identified the Konoha stronghold, managing to take note of the bombs and light flares. 'It will be impossible to ambush them, they have the clearing set up just so…on top of that, I believe that someone rigged up air-strike measures, so there is really no avenue of attack open. Plus, there are now three Jinchuuriki in one location…' The temptation of the reward money for such a prize was devastatingly high, but the odds of capturing such a prize were just as astronomical. Grimacing as he came to a decision, Kakuzu turned to his partner and shook his head. "They have a readied base, and far too many operative Shinobi. Even if we were to attack, they would surely defeat us…" Hidan rose to his feet angrily, rage glinting in his ruby eyes.

"That's bullshit! No-one can take us, we're both damned near immortal!" Hidan had already grabbed his scythe and was walking towards the direction of the encampment. "If you're just too much of a chicken shit to fight, then I'll go on by myself then. I'll kill all of them, and make an offering to Jashin-sama out of the lot!" Kakuzu sighed and brought his tendrils out to ensnare and trap his partner.

"We are damned near immortal, Hidan, but only damned near. What would happen if they isolated us, destroyed all of my masks, and then held you in place while they chopped you to pieces?" Hidan grimaced and spat on the ground in front of him, right at the nearest tendril.

"So the hell what, it's not like they know of our powers. We can just rip them to shreds and capture the kids. Once we've done that, it's gonna be child's play to haul the brats off to that puissant _Master_." Hidan had started to move again, pushing through the tendrils that were attempting to block his path. Kakuzu merely thickened the number of them present, creating a canopy that the man could not slip past.

"Regardless, Master was very specific that we not show off our powers right now. We need to lay low and wait to build up our base more powerfully. Rushing in and attacking now will throw our plans out of line and cost the organization precious lives and money." Hidan once more spat on the ground and now raised his scythe to begin slashing at the tendrils. Before he could, a number of the threads had reached out and grasped the weapon. In an instant, the object was removed from Hidan's side and tossed back into the clearing. It landed with all three blades down into Mukade's cold corpse. Hidan growled and lashed out at the threads, rage now apparent in his every fiber.

"You and your damn money! Fuck money, and fuck those bastards out there! We can fucking kill those pricks in an instant if we wanted to!" Hidan continued to struggle, and so missed the opening of the tendril curtain behind him.

"Lightning Release: False Darkness Jutsu…" A thunder bolt, about as wide as an elephant, raced from Kakuzu and struck Hidan in the back, jolting the immortal. "That's the sort of pain that's waiting out there Hidan, because they have a third Jinchuuriki with them. On top of that, Suien obviously did not fulfill his role as requested, allowing the Konoha brats to slip through his fingers. Mukade also failed to perform, so now we are left with an uncertain situation facing powerful foes. I for one, am not inclined to enjoy that kind of destruction tonight…" Hidan twitched in the blasted crater he had been standing in. His skin was quickly reforming, growing back into place over charred bones and skin.

"Shall we do the immortal zombie routine then? We usually do that when we have a group we want to wear down…" Kakuzu groaned as he looked at the sadistic grin on his partner's face. That look only came out when there was no reasoning with the man. "I go in, all by myself, and get taken out after possibly killing one or two of their members, then tomorrow, you come in and find my corpse and raise me from the dead. Every few days, I come back and wage war on them once more, a demon raised from hell to send them to Jashin-sama…" A three-bladed scythe flew through the air, sailing perfectly into the waiting grasp of Hidan. The smile on the man's face was completely murderous, and his pearly white teeth shined in the moon with the cultist's silver hair.

"Have it your way then…just make sure to not get fried or blown apart too much. Resurrecting you from that is always such a pain…" Kakuzu idly watched as his partner smirked, slinking away into the darkness. "Whatever you do, leave the targets alive. Master needs them for the plan, and I would hate to see you waste all of those potential profits…" A single raised middle finger was the response from the other man before he disappeared into the night.

xXxXxXx

Naruto and Sasuke were being led back to the rear part of the cavern by Kankuro. The older boy had been given the job of keeping the younger kids together, along with a still slightly bedridden Temari. Mikoto had returned to the ward for a few brief moments, but was almost immediately called back out by Shikaku. When the pineapple-head noted that both Fuu and Baki were rested enough and ready for combat, the man had pulled them out to the front lines. Fuu had accidently let slip that, 'this all is going to be too troublesome…' which brought an unusual grin to the black haired man. That little bit of flip had apparently gotten her the unenviable task of reviewing the man's organization.

Fuu looked over the battle plan that Shikaku had drawn up, trying to make sense of the various positions her team might be expected to take. The placement of seal snare spots over all of the claymore mines had been fairly easy, and the trip wires that crisscrossed all over the clearing gave Fuu an easy advantage for placing electrical attacks. Kubo's positioning though was easy to understand though; he was the last line of defense should an enemy breach all the way into the clearing. If the enemy was still going strong at this point, he was to pull back and withdraw from the combat, taking the children with him. If not, Kubo was a definite powerhouse to have in reserve, allowing him to overpower any remaining opponent.

During combat, Fuu was to act as a figure-head for the attacks, using her powerful lightning abilities to draw enemy combatants' hostility. Hiruma was then to use his sealing abilities to redirect any destructive jutsu back towards the enemy that drew too close to the kunoichi. Mikoto was going to be held in reserve alongside Fugaku, and use their Sharingan to both evaluate and analyze the abilities of the opposing party. Together, the two would then strike at any weak point they discovered, allowing them to possibly secure a decisive victory quickly. Shikaku, Inoichi and Chouza were all going to be acting to capture any high priority target using their infamous teamwork. Baki was going to be working as a sniping expert, using his wind jutsu to increase the power of the claymore explosions, as well as directing all shrapnel away from the allied forces. Tsume was merely to mark any enemy that entered the clearing with her clan's specialty stink bombs. It would allow any such target that escaped to be traceable via a nearly odorless chemical disguised in a typical smoke bomb.

As Fuu puzzled over the plan, Shikaku was standing, arms clasped behind his back and feet wide apart, as he looked over the battle preparations. His mind was a blur as he mentally ran through every single bingo book person he could imagine that might want to target this group; Iwagakure was a top priority, as was Yukigakure or Amegakure. All of them had tense relations with Konoha, and all were fairly nearby in terms of being able to attack and harm the area. Each of them also held issues with Takigakure, making the area a hotbed of activity. There was even that rogue group from the Land of Rice Fields that was acting up recently. His frown only grew as he looked out at the battle ground, imagining hundreds of horrific fights similar to this in the last war; it did nothing to settle the veteran's nerves.

The man was shaken from his reverie though by the sudden movement of Inoichi Yamanaka. Rising from a sitting position, the blonde turned to his troubled friend and nodded; the enemy would be among them shortly. From outside the circle of light, a single individual walked haughtily into the clearing. The man was holding a large scythe over his shoulder, all three blades glinting in the artificial light of the clearing. He wore a black cloak that had red clouds patterned across the front and back. Silver hair, and glinting red eyes rested above a psychotic smile.

"So, you all are the bunch of pansies that Kuzu-chan was worried about?" The affectionate title held a great deal of sarcasm and contempt as the murderous eyes swept across the clearing. The man spit once and lifted that massive scythe, turning the red blades towards the man's torso. "I'm not impressed…Forbidden Art: Blood Spawn…" The weapon flicked inwards and imbedded itself into the man's torso. Withdrawing it just as quickly, the weapon was flicked harshly to the side, causing pools of blood to appear. In an instant, creatures of twisted figures and spiky protrusions rose from the ichors'. "Now my children go and bring forth the destruction of Jashin-sama…" The creatures had taken on the shape of jackals, low slung to the ground and without eyes or ears. They had spikes extending from the knee joints and elbows, and a maw of even more jagged edges opened as the beasts roared and leapt forward. They landed on the mines of the clearing, destroying everything in sight as the smell of sudden explosions filled the air. Several of the trees in the clearing fell, quickly shedding far more darkness on the battlefield as the sealed light was hidden. Throughout the deluge of explosions, Hidan stood in the center of it all, darkness and light flickering over his ever growing grin.

"There's only one of them! Ino-Shika-Cho trio attack!" What shadows there were began to warp quickly towards the man, but he just jumped into the air. Giant hands came from the hillside to grab him, but the man merely smirked and slashed his scythe at them, forcing them back for an instant.

"Now you will now the pain of Jashin-sama! I'll make it quick since I have so many heathens tonight!" The scythe was quickly back in Hidan's hand, and his tongue reached out and licked the blood from the blade. Symbols formed on the ground around him, and the man reached out and held his head in place with one hand.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" The blast of wind blared through the clearing, howling as it hit the now skeletal appearing figure. The man was knocked back and out of his circle, though his features remained skeletal.

"Damn you, I'm trying to educate here! You'll get your turn as well, just you wait!" Hidan barely paused to recover himself, already intently dodging shadows that closed in on him. 'I don't know what those shadows do, but I definitely do not like the look of them…' The man vaulted and dodged from side to side, leaping off of the fallen tree limbs and trunks.

Kunai whizzed past him as he maneuvered and suddenly he felt himself rooted to the ground. In the flickering light, the man could just make out the kunai that had missed him and had imbedded in his shadow. 'Shit, got careless there I guess…hope they leave me in at least a few pieces…' The technique held Hidan fast, and he grimaced as a group of ninja approached him. His circle was only five feet away though, so if he could get blood from a few of them, he could at least make an escape.

"I've got him Shikaku..." Giant hands reappeared, bandages forming over a long gash in the right hand of the man. They reached out and gripped the immortal, and Hidan felt the jutsu that restricted his movements fade away completely. The constriction around his torso was painful, but Hidan paid it no mind. It bothered him more that the large man that approached him did not share in his discomfort at the moment.

"Who are you, and what do you want with us?" Hidan grinned in the were-light of the clearing, smiling as he noticed the clearing being cast in only the light of the moon.

"Your jutsu depends on the shadows, and now there's only the moon to help you…what's more…" Hidan bit down hard on the inside of his cheek, drawing blood. "A blood moon casts so little light…Forbidden Art: Blood Moon" The man turned skyward and lobbed a mixture of blood and spittle into the air, which quickly transformed and cast itself across the sky, blotting out the moon and shading it into a red pall. Chouza began to grimace as he felt his wound pulse once or twice before he fell to the ground. Blood had begun to spread at an unbelievable pace, spreading over the form of the warrior, coating him in skin of edges and jagged protrusions. Joining with the sound of the crunching transformation were similar sounds, all coming from where the explosions had been detonated. A shrieking call chilled the bones of the Konoha ninja as the blood hounds reformed before their very eyes.

"Ninja Arts: Mind-Body Transfer Jutsu" Hidan swayed slightly, and his grip on his scythe loosened for a second. In just that moment, Shikaku took a gamble and dashed forward, quickly knocking the weapon away. Hidan's eyes snapped wide open at this, and the Nara knew the jutsu had failed to take full possession.

"You idiot heathen! Without that I can't control them! Oh well, this is going to be fun for all of us now…" The man's hand slashed out quickly, reaching for the Nara's face with long bones at the ends of his fingers. The slash just missed, but the Nara widened his eyes in realization. In an instant, the Konoha ninja had flashed over to the scythe and grabbed the weapon.

"Fugaku, smash this thing! It's a medium for controlling the man's powers!" The Uchiha had his blade ignited as he flashed high into the air, the strike landing powerfully on the surface of the weapon. A small crack appeared on the middle of the haft that then raced up and down the length of the haft. As it broke, a whirl of red and black rushed out from the artifact.

"You're all screwed now, fuckers! You unleashed Jashin-sama's wrath!" Hidan began to cackle, his skeletal form bellowing as countless other monsters poured forth from the broken scythe. The man raced back towards the circle he had drawn on the ground, smiling widely as he landed within the symbol. "Now, face my hoard of blessed avatars! Know the pain and share in it with me!" Countless blood creatures raced towards both the man in the circle and the Konoha ninja, coming close to overwhelming the groups.

Fugaku slashed out and attacked the monsters, his blade severing clean through two or three at a time as he flashed through the clearing. Shikaku and Inoichi were evading as best as they could, firing out explosive kunai left and right. Tsume and Kuromaru were flashing into the clearing quickly, disappearing in blurs of fangs and sword as they hacked through the horde of monsters. In mere moments, the Konoha ninja had managed to avoid serious harm, though each of them had been scraped or cut at least once or twice. The only one without injury was Fugaku Uchiha.

Shikaku leapt back and watched in horror as the slain pools of blood fled back towards Hidan, where the remaining horde was panting around the circle. Hidan smirked in the dim light as the slick ichor covered his torso and opened his mouth wide as it poured down his throat. The blood poured down his open gullet, some slipping past and falling back to the ground only to crawl back up his chest. After a moment, the flow stopped, and the specter spat onto the ground. From the pools of blood, figures rose up and took on stances similar to the various ninja. A sound of crunching accompanied the noise, and the hardened shinobi had to fight to hold down their bile as skin and musculature formed to cover the summoned doppelgangers.

Shikaku found his eyes flashing over to his left as he saw the hulking form of blood covering Chouza shatter and break into numerous pieces. Throughout the fight, the figure had remained completely still; now the blood fell away and began to move quickly towards Hidan. Chouza fell flat onto his hands and knees, panting as he gained control over himself once more. Similar to the others, a large look-alike of the Akimichi formed in front of Hidan.

"Now all of you heathens are screwed! Enjoy the pain with me! It's sure to be satisfying!" All of the figures flashed forward, leaping to engage and attack the others. Before they even got close, a blast of lightning raced across the figures of blood and sinew, halting them in their tracks. At the same time, the majority of the Leaf ninja fell to their knees, convulsing as pain racked their bodies in the form of electrical shocks.

Hidan for his part, burst into cries of ecstasy and joy, "Shit, yes! That hit the spot..." The man had an orgasmic look on his face, even as his own body twitched from side to side in pleasure. A smile split the man's face as he looked on at the Konoha ninja. "Now, let's see how you really scream!" A small rod flashed into the man's hand, extending into a solid black pike. The blade flashed high and plunged towards the man's torso, only to stop an inch or two away from connecting. Hidan struggled to move the implement closer, but found his body rigid and unmoving.

"Shadow possession jutsu success…Sorry, but you're not going anywhere." A single wire line ran from Shikaku to Hidan, illuminated by the remaining lightning scattered across the various unused tripwires. The shadow solidified along with Shikaku's grin, "In fact, you and I are going for a walk…Mikoto, Baki, once I've got him out of that little circle I want decapitation and dismemberment jutsu fired off as soon as possible." Hidan continued to struggle against the shadows, his eyes brimming with rage as they fell onto the Nara. Shikaku moved the man outside of the group and breathed a sigh of relief, only to stare in bewilderment at the laughing lich in front of him.

"This won't stop my pets, you know? You damned heathens are all still going to Jashin-sama!" The horde raced once more towards the group, only for lightning to arc out once more and stop the plasmid monsters. "You goddamned bitch, why don't you come down here and fucking fight!" Fuu grinned from her place atop the hill, shaking a single finger in front of her face.

"You have a very bad mouth, young man! I'm going to have to educate you on proper manner's, aren't I?" A wicked grin was splayed over the girl's face as lightning once more crackled over her frame. Lightning continued to pour from the girl as the monsters were held in check,

"Thanks, Fuu. Mikoto, Baki, I've got him in position I think…" The Nara had shadow-marched the strange figure out of the clearing, leaving him on a mound of downed trees.

"We'll take it from here, Shikaku." Mikoto's clawed hand-wraps glinted in the moonlight, glowing an eerie blue as chakra raced along the edges. "Clawing Winds Jutsu!" Sickles of wind raced as the woman clawed first one hand, then another through the air. The blades hit Hidan along the arms and legs, dropping the man into bloody pieces. As the chunks fell to the ground, Shikaku noted the lack of blood spray.

"Hm, you Konoha ninja aren't too bad with wind attacks I see. But your accuracy leaves much to be desired…Wind Blade Jutsu!" Baki slashed a single hand across his face, and a massive front of wind whipped through the clearing. As it dead, Hidan's torso was separated into several pieces, his head most notably flying and falling at Shikaku's feet. Shikaku turned to complement the two, but jumped back in surprise at a loud yell coming from below him.

"You fucking heathens! You cut off my goddamned body and cut me into fifty million fucking pieces! Screw you!" Hidan's head moved from side to side, animated only by a small stump of neck and the ability to move back and forth slowly. Shikaku stared at the moving head, blinking in surprise. The man shrugged, reached into his pocket and drew out a simple gag. Moving quickly, the Nara positioned himself behind the talking head. "Where are you going, huh? Come back here! I'll bite your legs off!" Hidan was trying to turn himself around to get a glimpse of the shadow user. In a flash, the gag was sealed over Hidan's face, silencing the talking head whose eyes were attempting to disintegrate the other man.

"Good job, Mikoto, Baki. I'm going to go bury this head somewhere so we don't have to listen to it. You should check over the others, I don't think they're too injured." The other two ninja nodded at the man, turning their attention back to the other combatants. The blood monsters had already dissolved, and the rest of the group seemed to be panting while sporting only minor wounds. 'Still, for a single warrior to give ten powerful shinobi this much trouble is unbelievable…We're really lucky his partner didn't decide to fight with him, if he had we probably would have lost a lot of the people on this squad.' Inoichi shook his head as he turned to face his long time ally.

"How did you know what we would be going up against, Shikaku?" The Nara smirked at this, turning to face his friend with the lunatic looking head under his arm. It squirmed once or twice, and the man bopped it on the head sharply to shut it up.

"My clan keeps extensive medical records. One of the subjects of interest for us was the research being done in Yugakure under the cult of Jashin. Once this guy started spouting off stuff about the cult, I knew we needed to fight all out to kill him." Shikaku smirked and pulled a pipe and some tobacco out of the pouch on his chest. "Nice work on the telepathy jutsu by the way, it was really nice not having to say anything to set up our attack pattern." Inoichi shook his head from side to side with a grin on his face.

"Yeah, but my wife will be rather angry when I tell her I used that on other people…she's already steamed enough that I want to use it with Ino…" Shikaku took a single draw from his pipe as he commiserated with his friend.

"Yeah, women are troublesome at times, I agree…well, we better get everyone cleaned up and healed. No telling when this guy's partner is going to show up." Shikaku hefted the grumbling skull and punted it over towards Chouza. The large man had taken the most extensive wounds over the course of the battle; his head was covered in numerous burn marks from where the cursed blood had poured over his skin. "Mikoto, when you get the chance I want you and Fugaku to burn that trophy." The medic barely even looked up from her work before nodding once solemnly. In an instant, she had returned to her task at hand.

"Well, that all went about as well as we could have expected…guess it gets easier from here, right?" Inoichi settled a hand onto his partner's shoulder, who merely began to chuckle. Inoichi frowned, a puzzled look crossing his face.

"Easier? Inoichi, now we have to deal with politics!" The Yamanaka merely blinked once or twice before laughing along with his comrade.

xXxXxXx

Shikaku frowned at the gagged skull that lay on the ground. The red eyes of the man still stared up at him relentlessly, hate filled and manic. They had tried burning, electrocuting, cutting with blade and wind, and even crushing the immortal's skull, and nothing had worked. With time running out, and with that unknown powerhouse still lurking nearby, the group had been forced to adopt a field expedient burial. They left his scattered parts all over, and buried the head last. Inoichi had even tried to enter the mind of the undead juggernaut, only to be repulsed by the man's freakishly strong will. Sparing the skull a last brief grimace, Shikaku kicked the head into the awaiting hole in the ground. Chouza covered it up with a shovel, and the group turned to head towards the Waterfall Village. As they did, Shikaku looked over the group.

No one had been extensively harmed during the fight, but wounds and scrapes were abundant. Mikoto had been fairly drained from her own activities, and the breaking dawn paid testament to the groups' stamina. Chouza still could not fully utilize his injured hand; something with the attack from the berserker had thrown off the experienced ninja's chakra control. Fuu was lagging as well, her frame weary and her two friends supporting her under both of her arms. The kids were close at hand to the Takigakure-nin, Temari and Kankuro standing slightly off to the side from Naruto and Sasuke. Baki hoisted the still resting Gaara over his shoulder, bringing up the rear. The boy had yet to wake from his unnatural slumber, and if they did not reach the village by the afternoon, his health would begin to quickly deteriorate.

Fugaku and Mikoto lead the group with Tsume, the three using their senses to scan the area. Of the entire group, those three were the most rested, making them the natural choice for point guards. Shikaku and Inoichi were bringing up the rear; with Inoichi's sensing abilities and Shikaku's trapping expertise, there was a good chance they could stall any ambush. 'Still, we're barely hanging together as it is…the last two days have been particularly rough on the group…'

Solemnly, the assembled ninja made their way to the village entrance. Fuu reached into her pocket and pulled out a small sealing kunai. Noriaki took the proffered item and threw it into the deluge of water. The falls parted, cascading to either side as if repelled by an invisible boulder of immense size.

"That will hold the gate for a few minutes while we all enter. If you have documents to present, you should get them ready now." Fuu's voice struggled to come out over the roaring waters, but Shikaku managed to catch the important parts. The group stepped inside the falls, and rounded a corner, coming to a vista of beauty. The adults all smiled wanly at the image, and the kids seemed to brighten as well.

Naruto turned to Sasuke, nudging him slightly in the ribs, "This place is prettier than Konoha, you know?" The raven just nodded, his eyes wide in wonder as he gazed at the giant tree that centered the village. There were trees ringing the village itself, and all of them seemed to connect back to the center. Light poured through breaks in the trees, casting everything in a green morning glow. There were shapes moving about in the village proper, an area that ringed the still pool around the massive trunk. Forges could be seen, their morning smoke extending upward from the center ring in pockets here and there.

"It's much nicer than Suna, I'll admit." Naruto and Sasuke both turned to look at Temari, who was smiling happily over the site. "Hey, after the talks end tomorrow, you want to go swimming together, Naruto?" The boy blushed a bit but nodded his head. Sasuke smirked to himself, turning to walk into the village.

"Hey, Sasuke, wait up!" Naruto shouted to his friend's retreating back, who merely turned to look over his shoulder with a sardonic smile.

"Sorry Naruto, but I'm tired and really want to rest. You can catch up with your fiancé on your own." Both Naruto and Temari face faulted at this, turning to yell denials back at the boy. Fuu came up from behind them and placed a hand on both of their shoulders.

"Come on you two, Sasuke's right. You'll just have to arrange your little play-date tomorrow." Fuu chuckled lightly as the two kids both shot her a petulant look before being led back to their separate groups.

xXxXxXx

"There's just so much green…I've never seen this many trees, have you?" a young boy of around fourteen stared wide eyed at the forests surrounding Konoha, taking in the sight of the giant wooden gates and thick ringed wall.

"You and the other kids need to head back inside the carriage. The jonin will manage the exchange at the gate." A woman of twenty with blond hair and stern features gripped the shoulder of the kid, leading him back towards a sprawling caravan. Around the necks of both individuals hung headbands of the lightning village, testament to their professions.

"Ah, come on Yuugito, we've been cooped up in there for most of the trip! Now that we're actually here we should at least get to see the place!" The boy was trying to squirm away while shooting pathetic glances at the older ninja.

"You know the puppy-dog treatment doesn't work on me fusoi. Get back in there and act like a chuunin. You have to pull the role off convincingly now that you've been promoted." The boy shot her a dismayed look, but then pulled away suddenly and ran to the cart.

"Hey, get everything together you little punks! We have to be ready to meet with the diplomats in a bit and I bet none of you are ready, are you?" The youth that had been clambering out of the cart suddenly jumped like frightened cats, running about to gather up food, bags, and other gear that had gotten strewn about on the trip. The yells and commotion faded into the background for Yuugito as she looked on the village of the fire nation.

'For such a peaceful area, there is a lot of security on those walls…' her eyes played over the sets of guards and seals that ringed the great wall of the village, noting that many of them seemed to be active and alert, despite the noon-day sun. 'This level of security does not seem to match our arrival either, as no one is moving around at a heightened pace as we approach. Either they are expecting us, or there is something going on behind the scenes.'

Yuugito kept her guard up as they approached the giant gates, sparing a single glance to check over the company and assure that everything was in order. Fusoi had done his job well; everyone was at attention and in formal ranks. Her pride was short lived though as she noted the yawning of the gates in front of her, and a small delegation party standing at the ready to receive them. The man that approached had blonde hair and eyes of deepest sadness. They were rimmed with dark circles, and the blue in them seemed to be that of a dulled sapphire.

"I, Minato Namikaze, welcome you to Konoha. Under the treaty between our villages, you and your allies will be given housing and food for the first month you are within the village. After that, it is up to you to fend for yourself. The villagers have been informed of your arrival, and are anxious to meet all of you." The words were automatic, and lacked the emphasis of a diplomat such as a Kage.

"I understand, and accept your invitation. We are tired from traveling, and have pushed ourselves a bit too hard to arrive early for this meeting. If it is at all possible, could we put off diplomatic negotiations for the time being, and see that my company is given rest and quarters?" Yuugito was emotionless in her delivery, but she pitched her eyes and face in the way she had been trained to communicate empathy and confusion toward her counterpart's state.

"That would be most agreeable. I will have Hazashi-san here escort you to the Hyuuga estates. They have agreed to watch over you for the time being, and to provide the basic amenities that you may require. As for long term housing, a new district has recently opened up, and will be available for the majority of your company to move into within the month." Yuugito blinked once, her only indication of surprise. It was uncommon for a village to clear out space for new long term residents.

"Thank you very much for your hospitality. I look forward to meeting with you tomorrow to further discuss the details of the agreement between our villages." Yuugito bowed deeply, returning her gaze up to see that the Hokage had only inclined himself ever so slightly in response. His gaze was elsewhere though, and an aura of sadness pervaded from the normally mighty figure.

As the parties paths diverged, Yuugito felt her eyes linger on the older man. There was an emotion stirring deep within her, something that had not happened since she completed her training at eighteen. She was out of practice with identifying such things, and found herself wanting to know what it was that had stirred within her. 'This is an interesting village…perhaps there will be some good things about a change of venue.'

xXxXxXx

Minato breathed a sigh of relief as the Kumo ninja departed. He had been forcing his emotions down through sheer force of will, though they craved bloodshed of those that had harmed his fledgling family. The strength required to force him to speak following protocol brought pangs of guilt to the normally stoic shinobi. He could only think of Kushina as he stood there, thinking back to the hospital bed where she lay. The medical ninja and genjutsu experts had crafted a convincing enough lie about her state of health. Now, she rested in false-life in a hospital bed, dead to the world and to him. The genjutsu even crafted the illusion of breathing, and warmth in her hand, so long as he did not break out of the mindsnare. The medical ninjutsu kept her seemingly alive, lost in a coma of shock due to miscarriage.

The reality of his life made the Hokage hate himself and his position within the village. 'Kushina, and Naruto, will have to suffer this lie unknowingly, but I have to bear the entirety of it alone.' His eyes fixed on the retreating forms of the kumo ninja, and he felt his hands tighten into fists. 'In order to honor her death though, I must accept murderers into my village. Forgive me, Kushina.' The Hokage leapt into the air, his signature kunai flashing across the sky as the man disappeared in the swirl of the void.

xXxXxXx

A single eye snapped open as the sound of ragged breathing reached the listener's ears. Kakashi looked up at Minato from the corner of the Hokage office. Sunlight played into the room from behind closed curtains, backlighting and dimming the room. Papers that were usually well organized lay cluttered across the tabletop, with piles brimming near the base of the desk.

"Sensei, are you sure you wish to be back on acting duty as the Hokage?" Kakashi was worried for his mentor, physically and emotionally. The normal bright eyes of the Hokage were dimmed and faded. "I could technically take a temporary position?" Minato shook his head, regaining his bearings.

"I'm sorry for losing myself for a moment there. I was too distracted to check if anyone would be in my office." The blonde raised his head and hardness shone forth from his eyes. "What did you discover in regards to the Uchiha incident?"

"It looks like only nine of the Uchiha youth survived the civil war. None of the clan elders survived the stasis technique they were placed under, and few of the youth survived as it is. The only good news is that the survivors all hailed from main branch families. So long as all of them have children, the Sharingan will remain within the village." Kakashi pulled a report log out of his pack and handed it to Minato. The older man set it to the side on the desk and nodded for Kakashi to continue. "The worse news though is that most of them remember who it was that struck down their parents." Kakashi watched the other man carefully for any clues about the perpetrator.

"Itachi, correct?" Kakashi nodded. "Good, he did his job properly then. I need to explain the conflict within the clan to the public soon. The decided upon story is that there was internal clan fighting, and that Itachi was sent into the battle to limit the casualties against the rebels as much as possible. The main family decided that there had been no movement from the acting Hokage's to instate an Uchiha as Hokage ever since the time of Madara." Kakashi lowered his eyes, but nodded in assessment.

"That is indeed the case. The truth seems the most logical argument as well. Still, why did Itachi leave the village after the battle?" Minato smiled slightly at this question.

"He didn't. We are going to fake his death, and entomb him in the Uchiha shrine as a hero of the clan. Without his actions, the clan bloodline would have likely died out completely." The jonin hid his surprise well for the plan; only his visible eyebrow raised in response.

"That's going over the heads of Fugaku and Mikoto a bit, don't you think Sensei?" Minato shook his head in disagreement, and pulled a scroll from within his desk.

"This was signed by Fugaku and Mikoto, as well as the elders of the Uchiha clan over a month ago. They knew of the coming rebellion, and were trying as much as possible to forestall the civil dispute. I broached this plan with them after the spring graduation, and though they wished it to not occur, they gave permission for the entombment should Itachi be forced into this fate." Kakashi took the scroll from his sensei and turned to leave. There was a hint of anger in his eyes as he did.

"Would you have allowed this to play out as it did if Obito were still a part of the Uchiha?" Minato flinched at this, shoulders tensing and face settling into a mask of indifference. "Obito was part of the branch family, so why was effort spent saving the bloodline over the people?"

Kakashi turned and faced his teacher, whose head was bowed with a great weight. "Can you convince yourself that you chose your comrades over your mission, sensei?"

"I had to save the clan Kakashi. If I didn't, there might not have been any future Obito's to be born. I know I had to forsake the branch families, but I'm taking the long view on this matter." Kakashi's head tilted ever so slightly forward, but whether it was in acknowledgement or distress was not clear. A moment later, he had left the office.

Minato sighed and began raising the curtains to the office chamber. Summoning up three shadow clones, he set them about fixing things up and organizing the place. The use of the clones clawed at his heart though; Kushina was the one who had demonstrated the technique to him in the first place, hoping it would give him more time to spend at home. A knock on the door roused him from his musings. "Come in." His voice sounded hollow and cracked.

"Lord Hokage." The voice of a purple haired woman in a ponytail greeted him, her brown trenchcoat completely buttoned in his presence.

"Anko, what can I do for you?" Minato gestured her to a chair as the clones cleaned in the meantime. "I apologize for the mess, the last few days have been fairly stressful for me, as you can imagine." Anko nodded, and Minato took the second to notice the rings under her eyes. 'Kushina was always very kind to you; she treated you much like a younger sister, and helped you through your travesty with Orochimaru.'

"Thank you, Lord Hokage, but I'm only here to report from the ANBU mission that Hatake-san and I were assigned." Minato nodded for her to continue. "After locating and investigating the loyalty of those Uchiha in Root, it was discovered that all of them fell on the side of supporting the village. That being said, they were given a recent urgent mission by Danzo days before the attack that involved them journeying into Rice country en masse. There has hence been no report from that group, and they are considered MIA."

Minato steeped his fingers in front of his face, his eyes once more agates of concentration. "Did Danzo give any sort of response in regards to their current status?" Anko nodded once, pulling a scroll from within a front pocket of her trench coat.

"The full report is enclosed therein. Danzo has also requested a search party not be sent out. Such an action could further jeopardize their mission if a party were to draw attention to their presence." Minato frowned at this, some hidden meaning tickling at the back of his mind.

"What mission did Danzo have them on, Anko? Root is not normally authorized to act outside of the village without the Hokage's permission, unless it regards missing ninja." Anko's face tightened at the mention of missing ninja, her hands fisting at her sides.

"They were searching for Orochimaru, Lord Hokage." Minato nodded as such, already coming to several conclusions about the possible damage that might hold. "It is mine, as well as Kakashi's opinion, that ten Uchiha operatives should have been able to bring such a target to ground had his location been correct." Anko was a touched surprised when Minato smirked and shook his head lightly.

"There may be another group involved Anko-san. For now, I want you and Hatake-san to keep a very close eye on Danzo. I also want ANBU to tighten security around my wife for the time being. Her current state gives far too much of a chance for my opponents to prey on." Minato's voice hitched slightly on 'wife' and darkened on 'state'. To an outside observer it would have gone unnoticed, but Anko picked up on the burden of her leader.

"She'll pull through Minato. She made it through the birth of Naruto, and through the extraction of the nine-tails. If anyone can make it through some simple medical problems, it's Kushina." Anko's voice was consoling; one of the few people she ever was serious around was Minato and Kushina.

Noting the downcast look Minato took, Anko took a step forward, hoping to comfort her friend and mentor. "Please leave Anko-san. I…I can't talk about Kushina right now." His voice stopped her when she had neared the desk. "Thank you for your concern; I'll keep you informed about how she's doing."

"Sure thing, boss." Minato smiled weakly at the old nickname, memories of seeing Anko when she was a little kid flashing back to him. "Just know that I'm here if you need to talk." Minato nodded, and in a moment he was left in the office to himself.

Settling back into his chair, Minato smiled wanly as he looked over the village.

"_Hah, a punk like you thinks that they can be as great as one of the Legendary Sannin?__ Look at your spiky blonde hair and goofy face!" A short Anko stared up defiantly at him; she was a third his age, and was still mouthing off to him, despite him substitute teaching at the Academy. _

"_And what would you know, huh? I'm three times your age and your instructor for the day; you should show respect for your elders." Minato was surprised at himself for getting bent out of shape over some kid. Still, teaching was turning out to be one hell of an experience. _

"_Your still a punk! All that means is that I have to listen to you because you're older." The girl proceeded to stick out her tongue at him and run off to the playground with the other kids. _

_Minato held himself back from running after the kid, opting instead to settle in over the load of homework he now had to grade. _

_Later that day, as he was heading back to his apartment, Minato noticed one girl sitting off by herself. She was crying, and was on her own. Minato went over and approached the girl, but she flinched and tried to run off when he got closer. _

"_Hey, wait a second, what happened?" His voice caught her, and she turned to face him again. It was the little girl from before, and there were bruises over her face and arms. "Did the other kids do this to you? Which ones was it?" Anko shook her head, and instead ran up and buried her face in Minato's stomach. _

"_Don't be mad at them, their just stronger than me still. Once I get strong enough, I'll never let them do this again." The girl sobbed into the front of Minato's shirt, crying her eyes out. Minato, nonplussed for a second, began to awkwardly comfort the girl, running his hands up and down her back in a gentle manner. _

_After awhile, her sobs subsided and she pulled back and away from the older ninja. "Look, if you want to get really strong, the best way isn't going to be to try and hurt those who wronged you. The best way is to protect those you care about. Now tell me, why did those other kids do this to you?" Anko sniffed once or twice, nodding her head a bit. _

"_I told them that I wanted to be able to serve and protect the Sannin someday…they just laughed at me, and said the Sannin don't need any protection…" her voice faded off for a second before she turned big eyes and tremulous voice on her audience. "But everyone does sometime, right sensei? That's why people need ninja, is to protect them, right?" Minato nodded, and smiled down at the girl. _

"_That's exactly right Anko. Even the Sannin need those who will look out for and care for them. So pursue your goal, and go after it. Don't let others stand in your way, alright?" The girl nodded, a fierce determination lighting in her. _

"_Thanks. For a punk who looks like a flake, you're alright!" Minato blanched a bit at this, but smiled when he saw her sticking her tongue out at him. "I hope to see you again, boss!" Her voice echoed back to him as she jumped across the rooftops. _

'_Maybe the next few weeks as a substitute won't be so bad after all. Who knows, I might be able to help her keep those bullies away from her.' Straightening, Minato turned and headed across the rooftops, gunning for his apartment. _

As the memory faded, Minato turned to face his mountain of paperwork. Several of the clones were hard at work, and turned to give him a dirty look. "Come on, boss. You can't just slack off and leave us with all the work." Minato grinned and started flipping through the papers on his desk.

His mood darkened after a few seconds though, his thoughts drifting back to the rouge group he still needed to address. 'Somehow, Madara and other elements are moving through Konoha and gathering intelligenceon us rather easily. Whatever their method of infiltration, I need to discern where this element is, and quickly. Otherwise, diplomacy between villages will be the least of my concerns.'

xXxXxXx

Temari rolled her eyes and sighed. 'These diplomatic meetings are getting really old, really fast. They drag us all out here for a document signing, but we have to greet, socialize, drink tea, and where these horrendously hot kimono in the dead of summer!' Cooling herself with a small folding fan, she looked around at the others. Baki was similarly uncomfortable, though his face gave none of it away. Gaara was seated calmly, arms crossed over his chest and looking none too pleased about the whole affair. Kankuro was somehow still in his all-black outfit, and was keeping a face of absolute neutrality. Only the twitching of his fingers gave away his aggravation with the situation.

The whole party was seated at one of three long tables, set up to allow a center area for diplomats to come and address the group about the treaty components. Whether it was silk merchants, arms dealers, or nobles wanting a say on who got what missions and at what rate, every individual had a say in the matter. Which meant the last day or so had been spent going over these details.

On Temari's side were all of the Suna ninja, and across the open space for petitioners, there was the table full of the Konoha ninja. Temari caught Naruto's eye, who smiled at her and then rolled his eyes comically about the procedure. She smiled at this, stifling a giggle, and gave an imperceptible nod of agreement.

Temari had to admit, as much as a blockhead as the kid could be, he was still sweet in his own way. He blushed a lot whenever she reminded him of the age difference, and was really sensitive about his height, especially since everyone, including Gaara, was taller than him. Still, he was quite gregarious, and had even gotten some of the local kids to come and socialize with them at the beach the other day.

She smiled on that memory, remembering how perplexed Kankuro had seemed at the thought of having outside interactions with others. Gaara had remained as far back from the group as possible, but had been surprised when some of the kids came up and asked if he wanted to build sand castles. That had left the poor kid completely confused for a minute or two, but before long there was a giant castle that had ramparts and everything standing on the beach.

Temari flicked her eyes over to her younger brother, and was surprised again when he caught her stare and raised the corners of his mouth ever so slightly. After he had awoken from his prolonged sleep, he had apologized to both Kankuro and Temari. He then had gone on to explain what happened with Yashamaru, and why he had been withdrawing from them ever since. Temari had embraced him, crying over what had happened. Kankuro for his part remained mostly quiet, but clapped a hand on his shoulder, promising that the two of them would try to find more time to spend with Gaara.

Gaara's wide eyes, and tentative smile were all that the two of them needed to know that things would be alright.

"As that is the last petitioner, we are now ready to close the talks and begin with the signing of the Tri-village Treaty. Would Naruto Namikaze, Gaara Sabaku, and Fuu Heiki please step forward." Temari was roused out of her musings, and turned to face the head table of Takigakure ninja. Fuu was walking around the table, and was escorting Gaara to the front. Naruto walked on his own from his side to stand in front of the head table.

A large scroll had been placed in the center of the table, and attached to it by chains were two other identical rolls of parchment. The proffered one was unrolled, and three large empty sections were placed in front of them.

"Place your hands in the ink provided, and channel chakra into your fingers. The mark you leave will be signed to you then, and will mark you as a representative for your village. Each of these scrolls serves as a binding commitment to the treaty. Any of the representatives who ever partake in combat involving their jinchuuriki against a member of another of the respective villages will have their name removed from this treaty. As a copy of this will be presented to each of the respective villages, it will be a testament to the level of faith and cooperation that exists between our people." The diplomats voice rang clear through the room, and excitement could be seen in many of the members eyes. For the younger generation, it was a chance to end the dreadful talks, while for the older generation there was hope for lasting peace.

"Sign your full name, your age, and the name of your tailed beast in the space provided. This contract is spiritually binding, so do not be concerned by any changes you might feel internally because of this document. Also, be warned that the document will sense if you are lying." As the words and names were scrawled across the paper, Temari watched closely. She noticed that Naruto and Gaara were around the same age, though Gaara was slightly older. What struck her as odd was the age that Fuu signed. 'She better not be trying to trick the thing, the guy just said that the seal will tell.'

A flash went up from the scroll as the three stepped back, and Temari sighed inwardly. 'I knew that there was no way that Fuu was 87, that would make her as old as the second Kazekage.'

The diplomat stepped over to inspect the document, and nodded once. "Thank you very much. Copies of this scroll will be taken by the advance party from here to the respective villages. Please note that the order will be first to the Hidden Leaf Village, where a ritual concerning the marriage meeting of Naruto Namikaze and Temari Sabaku will take place, as well as further discussion on the reconfiguring of market and mission price between our villages with the civilian council." Temari blinked several times as the session broke up, going about their separate ways.

'What? But she signed that document incorrectly? What's going on here?' Temari kept her voice in her head, but she began to watch the Takigakure ninja as closely as possible. 'We've already been attacked several times since we arrived on this mission, and all of them have been near Takigakure. Something is not right here…'

xXxXxXx

Well, that's all for this chapter. Race on to the next one and see what else is in store to come. There will be angst, drama, and a much needed plot development before a slight teaser for the next arc as well. Hope you all liked the story, cause it's racing to the climax!

Just a point of coolness at the end, the story has over two hundred alerts which I find to be astounding. Thanks so much for the support everyone and I hope to see your comments as we wrap this sucker up!


	13. Chapter 13

Here's the last bit! I do not own Naruto or any affiliated characters in any way, shape, or form. Hope you enjoy!

xXxXxXx

"Two days in at the beach sounds just fine to me!"Naruto had a simple pair of orange swim trunks on, and was standing at the top of a small tower that Gaara had constructed for the village kids. Ever since the boy had woken up and bonded with his siblings, he'd been fairly friendly and nice. Still, Naruto remembered the feeling of terror that had filled the night when Gaara had unleashed his demon. 'And mine's stronger than his is too…'

Naruto was shaken out of his musings when he heard voices coming from the lake. Looking down he saw Temari floating on her back, her back in pigtails and her body covered with a simple white one piece. The older girl was definitely nice, but she had a competitive streak that made Naruto smile. Still, Sasuke was chilling out in a similar pose with his blue trunks on, and was looking way too comfortable for Naruto's pleasure. Actually, both of them looked extremely off-guard at the moment.

"CANNON BALL!"

Sasuke went wide-eyed at his friend's descent, realizing too late he was in the path of destruction. The blonde splashed into the lake, the waves cascading over Sasuke and a smirking Temari.

"Hey, watch where you're landing!" Sasuke spluttered, coughing water out of his mouth. Naruto grinned and rubbed the back of his head.

"Sorry about that Sasuke, it's just so nice to finally be out of those darn meetings." Sasuke smirked in kind, giving a 'hn' of agreement. His eyes widened again a little bit, but too late to warn Naruto. A hand reached out from behind the blonde to grab and force him under.

"Have to pay attention to your surroundings, Naruto! Especially after you mess with a girl's relaxation time." Temari grinned as the younger boy was spluttering under the water, using her height and weight to force him under. Sasuke hung back and sniggered at his friends expense. At least until he suddenly found himself in Naruto's place.

"Thanks for being my substitution Sasuke, I was really running out of air." Sasuke heard none of this, as suddenly he was the one struggling to make it to the surface.

"Hey, no fair! He wasn't disturbing my relaxing time." Temari let Sasuke up and moved over to splash the blonde. The water washed over Naruto, plastering his blonde hair to his head.

"Oh, so that's the way it's gonna be, huh?" Naruto got a mischievous grin on his face. "Well, if it's a splash war you want, I can definitely help out with that!" Sasuke had regained the surface when he noted his friends hand sign.

"Temari, you're on your own for this one, I'm getting out of here. He's taking things way too far again." Sasuke was already turning and leaving the water as he watched the chakra swarm around his friend. Temari blinked once or twice, noticing the haze filling the area around Naruto.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Ten Naruto's popped into existence, all looking predatorily at Temari and positioning themselves to soak the kunoichi. Temari blinked at the solid clones she faced, but then just shrugged.

"If you would have told me this was a jutsu splash fight, I would have brought my fan out. As it is, I'll just have to settle for humiliating you like this." Naruto smirked at her, not buying it for a second.

"Let's see you try! You've got nothing on this! Believe it!" Temari smirked as the waves of water began to descend on her.

"Maelstrom pulse jutsu" A sphere of air expanded around Temari, swirling and pushing the water back. In an instant, all of the clones were swept back by the expanding burst of air, some even becoming removed from the water and bouncing along the surface. All of them dispelled though after a certain one washed up on the bank. Temari swam over to the boy, and reached a hand down to help him up. Instead of pouting like she expected, Naruto had a bright eyed face of excitement.

"Temari, you have got to teach me that, that was so totally awesome!" The girl shook her head; one good thing about the kid was that he certainly did not take defeat seriously.

"Sorry, but unless you've got wind natured chakra, I won't be able to help you at all. Wind natures are really hard to pick up if you don't have the bent for it already." Naruto frowned, his thinking face mussing up his looks.

"I think my dad was wind natured, and my mom was fire natured. Does that mean I'm wind natured, or fire natured?" Temari smiled down at the boy, shaking her hair loose from her ponytails.

"Natures aren't usually passed down like that, unless they're a part of a kekkei genkai." Naruto widened his eyes in understanding and smashed his fist into a free palm.

"So, since Fugaku has the Sharingan, Sasuke will too, right?" Temari nodded, and the blonde turned to Sasuke with a jealous look. "Your family has all the luck, you know that Sasuke?" Sasuke was busy wringing out his hair, but he turned back to Naruto and smirked.

"Yeah, I do know. It's why the Uchiha are the best around." Naruto frowned in response, and then smirked.

"Oh yeah? Then let's see what those famous eyes can do against the Namikaze stamina!" Sasuke shook his head in denial.

"No way, you're way too much for a single Uchiha to handle. Still, there's no comparing that stamina to a fully awakened Sharingan." Naruto shrugged, even as Temari giggled at the two of them. Looking up, Sasuke seemed to fix on someone on the other side of the beach area.

"Temari, I think Baki's here to escort you and Gaara back." The jonin was indeed in full garb, and had a bored looking Kankuro and Gaara in tow behind.

"Man, we haven't even been here that long! We can't possibly have more meetings to go to, can we?" Naruto had pulled himself up from the beach, and was looking over at the approaching Jonin dejectedly.

"No way, they said the meetings were ended and we had two days to gather supplies and rest up before we leave." Temari suddenly remembered the end of the meeting, and turned back to Naruto and Sasuke. "Oh, hey, regardless of what's going on, I need to meet and talk to the two of you later. I think there's something funny going on regarding Heiki-san." Both of the two boys blinked in surprise, but nodded their agreement.

"Alright Temari, Naruto, Sasuke. All three of you need to head back to your respected lodgings for the meeting. There is news to discuss about the travel plans and how we'll be departing from here." Sighing in defeat, the three children walked away with the Jonin, leaving the beach behind.

Just as they all turned to leave, one of the other kids at the beach ran up to the group. "Gaara, you're coming back tomorrow to make more sand sculptures, right?" Gaara blinked at the kid who had run up, noting that he was the one that originally asked him to build a sandcastle.

"Of course. I look forward to adding a dungeon and execution ground tomorrow." The boy paled a little in shock. "We have to have someplace to put all of those trespassers on your castle grounds, don't we?" Gaara smirked a bit, his joke coming off a bit harsher than he intended.

The boy caught the joke though, and nodded, laughing slightly. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow then!" Gaara nodded and rejoined the waiting group, all of whom smiled at the interaction.

"Better watch out Naruto, Gaara might be becoming more popular than you with the locals." Sasuke ribbed his friend slightly as the group departed, earning a moue of disappointment from his friend.

"A guy does one cannon ball at the beach, and suddenly everyone's picking on him!" The group laughed as they returned to the peaceful village.

xXxXxXx

Minato Namikaze was not sleeping peacefully. Visions of the mission in Iwagakure during the end of the Third Shinobi World War played through his mind. The change of Kakashi from his former closed off rule-based view into a lazy loafer had only further heightened the loss of Obito. The fatalities he had administered at the battle of the bridge, and the loss of Obito played through his mind, along with the words of Kakashi. He had abandoned one generation to save the next.

Minato found himself rising from his bed, the large mattress seaming out of place with no one to share it with. The leader rose and dressed himself, letting his mind guide him on autopilot. He soon found himself at a bar in the seedier districts of Konoha, a favorite tavern of the younger ninja of the village.

The neon red lights roused the man from his misery. He noticed the familiar sounds and laughter from within, remembering his sensei taking him on trips, against his better judgment, into such establishments. 'Kushina gave me hell for that too when she found out…' The man turned away from the revelry within, choosing instead to walk the lonely streets. The night air was warm, making the Hokage's battle robe suffice for a basic covering.

Minato was so distracted by his thoughts he missed the looks of a purple haired kunoichi and a silver haired shinobi, both of whom followed his departure carefully. His movements carried the man to the memorial stone where names of the fallen were writ. He ran his hands over the many comrades he had lost and found himself crying. 'Kushina always made fun of me for being a cry-baby…' Sobs racked the man's form and before he knew what had happened, the leader of the proud leaf village was on his knees, sobbing for his loss.

The sound of leaves crunching nearby had Minato's eyes snapping wide open. "I'm sorry for intruding…I had not realized that another would be here so late." Minato felt his throat tighten as the words carried to him from the last voice he wished to hear.

"It's alright. I was just about to leave." Minato straightened, intending not to turn and face the specter of his deceased.

"Please stay. I wish to know more about the village that I am to join. I wish to know specifically about the man who controls the fate of those that I lead." Minato turned to face the eyes of Yuugito Nii, her face settled into that controlled mask of indifference. From within her eyes, he saw earnest emotion though, betraying her façade.

"This is the memorial stone. It is a place of commemoration for those who have fallen within this village. Those who have died in war, or in combat for the village, have their names carved into this stone." Minato turned and let his eyes settle on the woman across from him. They held a great umbrage within them. "My wife will not have her name placed on here, since her cause of death is to be listed as a complication due to pregnancy. This is to prevent demands of war spreading between our villages." Yuugito felt her eyes widen and she cast her gaze away and to the ground.

"To lose a place of memory within the village is a terrible blow to someone as renowned as Kushina Uzumaki…" Yuugito was surprised at the harsh bark of laughter that came from the man across from her.

"Kumo had tried to remove her from the memory of the village once before and they failed thanks to me…this time, I have to remove her from the memory of the village and succeed in order to prevent war with your nation." The voice of the Hokage was filled with utter venom, his gaze never leaving Yuugito's face.

"I am sorry for the difficulties my people have placed upon you. Still, I need to know what future awaits my people within this village. I was selected as the leader of this expedition, and I must know how we will be explained to the general populous of Konoha." Minato met Yuugito's eyes, noting the determination within them to protect her villagers.

"You and your companions had your lightning village headbands confiscated before you entered the village proper. As such, you will be explained as a traveling group of ninja, refugees from the civil war that passed through Amegakure recently. Your status as former Kumo ninja will be suppressed and all ranks will be stripped from you. However, next year, you may take the requisite exams and test into our infrastructure." Yuugito smiled slightly and shook her head.

"I am not talking about the details of how we will be integrated, though I am dismayed to hear that we will have to give up our heritage to protect the peace of the nations. What I am interested in is the status of myself, and the other companions of mine, that are of a unique situation." Minato gave her a questioning glance, encouraging her to continue. "In Kumogakure, Jinchuuriki and members of Kekkei Genkai clans are respected and feared by the people. They are also ostracized from participating in the normal activities of daily life."

Minato smiled and lowered his head. "Those with Kekkei Genkai are accepted well within this village, and your status as the Jinchuuriki of Kumo will remain unknown for the time being. In essence, any of those among you who have clan abilities will not be treated poorly. You however will have to give up use of your Jinchuuriki in the completion of your missions." Yuugito smiled and nodded.

"I am thankful that we have a captor such as you, Minato Namikaze. Not all such individuals would treat us with such kindness and good-nature." Minato tensed as the female approached him, noticing her posture and movements. "I hope that the two of us can become closer as we help my people acquaint themselves with your villagers." Minato felt his eyes drawn into the Jinchuuriki's eyes, noticing in the faint light of the stars and moon that they seemed to glow an eerie yellow.

"How are you and your companions interested in acquainting themselves with the villagers?" Yuugito smiled, and Minato could have sworn the kunoichi had begun to purr. At the same time, the Kage became far more aware of the feminine sway that Yuugito had begun to put in her hips as she traversed the few remaining feet to the Hokage's side.

"Oh, well, I don't know about the rest of my companions, but I am very curious about you, Minato Namikaze." Her voice definitely held a seductive tone in it, and a dim part of Minato's mind noticed a cloying smell pervading his nose. It was a heady smell, driving away any and all rationality.

"Curiosity killed the cat Yuugito…" Minato was fighting as hard as he could with his fading mental faculties, but he now knew he was suffering from a powerful seduction technique. His mind played tricks on him, convincing him that he found her desirable; that he wanted to be with her. A whistling sound in the trees, almost like leaves swirled through the empty field.

"Cats have nine lives, Minato-kun…" Yuugito reached out to touch the Hokage, only to jump back quickly at the intrusion of several kunai into the space she had formerly occupied.

"Sorry, kitten, but you don't just get to move into the village and hit on the head honcho that way…" Yuugito schooled her features quickly, her hands moving behind her back. In a blur, Minato found his senses returning, and his head pounding rather heavily. "Sorry to interrupt Minato, but the council has called an emergency meeting. It seems that your son and company ran into a little trouble at the Waterfall village and have been delayed two days for rest and resupply." Minato shook himself, turning to face Anko at the edge of the forest.

"I understand. I'll be leaving now then. Anko, could you escort Yuugito-san to her quarters please?" Anko quirked an eyebrow in question, but nodded her acceptance. "Yuugito-san, thank you for joining me this evening. I apologize for my apparent lack of attention; I seem to still have my mind on matters concerning Kushina." Yuugito smiled demurely and bowed her head in acceptance.

"Not at all Namikaze-san, I understand completely. Thank you for your company on this lonely night, and for explaining the meaning of the memorial stone. I hope you feel betters in the days to come." The kumo ninja bowed deeply, to which Minato returned the gesture.

"Thank you again Anko-san. I'll leave you to see Yuugito-san home now." Minato turned and left, unsurprised by the questioning gaze that followed him from the purple haired woman.

"Alright, kitten, let's get you home, shall we?" Anko jumped down from on high, and found herself sniffing the air as she landed next to the fellow kunoichi.

Yuugito glanced at the similar aged woman, smiling as she approached. "Do you like my perfume Anko?" The other woman stiffened at the address, and turned a glare on the other woman.

"You will address me as Mitarashi-san. Also, I'm interested in some of Kumo's traditions now; do your people usually the working of glamour genjutsu on others in your village?" The voice was laced with outrage and hatred. Yuugito seemed slightly taken aback by the question.

"Whatever do you mean An…Mitarashi-san? I've never used a glamour jutsu on anyone, nor would I have any skill with such a technique; you must have read my bio as you were listed as the diplomatic exchange informant for Kumo." The other woman narrowed her eyes and glanced over the woman carefully.

'There's a glamour there, but it seems to be combined with something else…some sort of seal for obedience!' Anko snapped her eyes open and pulled out restraining wire from within her pouch. "You're right; a Jinchuuriki wouldn't have the control necessary to perform a glamour. But that doesn't mean one could not be performed on you and strengthened without your knowledge." Yuugito blinked in confusion, but quickly found herself bound by straps of resistant and chakra-repressive cuffs.

"You will come with me, and will not resist under orders of ANBU. If we discover this was placed upon you by those in Kumogakure, this will necessitate further reparations between our villages." Once the straps were placed onto her, Yuugito stiffened as if she had been slapped.

"Where am I and why are you cuffing me? This is not Kumogakure…" Anko was surprised by the sudden change in personality. The woman before had been demure and polite, whereas the current tone she received was harsh and exacting.

"You are an emissary for the reduction in war-terms between Kumogakure and Konohagakure. You were sent to forestall the damage war would cause and represent the ninja from your village. Do you remember that?" Yuugito nodded, her guard up and hands clenching behind her back.

"That sounds familiar. Last I remembered we were passing through the Rice Country and had stopped at an inn. There was a man across from me, and he had pale skin…" Anko stiffened slightly, gears starting to click together in her mind. "…and long black hair. His eyes though were pure red though…like the Sharingan…" Anko had tremors running through her hands, and her breathing was coming more and more ragged.

'So, the bastard managed to perfect the body transfer technique…and now he has the Sharingan…still, he's given us his position at least.' Anko regained her composure and began to lead Yuugito away from the memorial stone. "Come on, I'm sure that the Yamanaka's will have a few questions for you…" Yuugito bowed her head in acceptance and let herself be lead away.

"Nothing will happen to the others, correct?" Anko nodded in the fading light, leading the fellow Jinchuuriki into the depths of the hidden leaf village. Twilight hid the movements of a creature in the trees.

xXxXxXx

Naruto and Sasuke landed lithely in the bushes and shrubs surrounding the Konoha guest house. It was a simple, one story building, surrounded by a wooden fence with trees and bushes ringing the perimeter. Simple stone paths dotted the landscape, bringing together all of the houses entrances and exits. The two nodded to each other and leapt into the night, careful to meet at the place that Temari had suggested.

"What do you think Temari noticed about Fuu that she wants to investigate?" Sasuke shrugged off Naruto's question, focusing instead on moving quickly and silently through the village. Naruto frowned at Sasuke's lack of a response, but continued after his friend in silent protest.

The two of them landed silently on the rooftop where they had decided to meet the others, quickly spotting a crouched over Temari, Gaara and Kankuro. "Good, you decided to come." The three cleared away what looked like a card game before they moved over to the leaf shinobi. "I noticed something strange about Fuu-san and I wanted to investigate. Namely, she put down her age as 85 on the Tri-Village Treaty, and it still said it was valid." Naruto and Sasuke both blinked at this in surprise.

"That treaty is a binding seal, it wouldn't have read correctly if that wasn't her correct age…" Temari nodded in agreement with Naruto but then smirked slightly.

"What if Takigakure was trying to pull a fast one on both Konoha and Suna though? They could make it seem like a binding document, and then change up the seal so that it would hide any invalidity on their part…" Naruto and Sasuke both felt a growing pit in their stomach, but it was Sasuke who spoke up this time.

"If that were the case, this is way above our ability to handle. Yes, we have two Jinchuuriki working with us, but that's power not stealth." Temari frowned at the boy, though she knew he was right.

"Look, we should still investigate none-the-less. We know where she'll be hanging out, and if this were some kind of plot of this village to harm ours, Fuu-san seems to be the type to disregard such an action." Kankuro had pulled his large package off of the ground, and seemed to be settling it onto his shoulders in preparation for moving. "Plus, she seems to really like Naruto and Gaara, and would most likely share such information with them at least." The others nodded in response, everyone seeming to consider Kankuro's advice.

"That's the best thing I think you've said since I met you, clown-boy." Kankuro sputtered in annoyance at the voice from the darkness, but he was also instantly on edge. All of the other youth present reached for their respective weapons, and tensed for an unwanted intruder.

From out of the shadows stepped a woman with mint-green hair and orange outfit. "Yes, you're right, I did sign the seal contract as if I was eighty five. However, that's because I am." None of the Konoha or Suna kids pulled back from their weapons, causing Fuu to sigh. "Look, Jinchuuriki get different abilities depending on what Tailed Beast they have sealed within them. The one tailed demon offers the power to control sand and expand and grow at an enormous rate if so inclined." Gaara felt himself flinch lightly at being named. "The nine tailed demon offers the power of nearly limitless chakra to use and manipulate in whatever desired fashion." Naruto looked down and away from the others. "The seven tailed demon offers false eternal youth. My body will appear and function as if I was at my physical prime, even as I slowly age and deteriorate." Fuu smiled sadly at the group. "As such, I never know when my life will end, having to merely wait and hope for the end of my life." All of the assembled looked down at that, hands moving away from their weapons.

"Come on; let's get all of you back to bed, alright? It's going to be a big day tomorrow when we head out for the leaf village." The group settled in and began to move away with the shinobi, falling into step in groups. Temari and Naruto ended up near the back of the group.

"Sorry about dragging you into this Naruto; guess I was just slightly hoping that for some reason we couldn't control we wouldn't be forced into this whole marriage thing, you know?" Naruto nodded. He had not admitted it aloud to Sasuke, but he had secretly hoped that this would be a good enough reason to forestall the treaty as well. He had even been excited when Temari mentioned how it could have been a giant scheme of Takigakure, though that made him feel horrible considering his friendship with Fuu.

"It won't be that bad though. I mean, it's not like we have anything to worry about for the next eight years or so at least. That gives us plenty of time to grow up and know others." Temari smiled and nodded sadly. "Plus, it didn't say anywhere in that contract thing that we have to be completely promised to one another from now on!" Temari nodded in agreement.

"You know, for an eight year old, you're surprisingly smart." Temari faked a flirty glance at the boy who had the humility to blush and turn away.

"I blame my mom for getting me to read all of those stupid books and attend those stupid meetings. I swear, I've grown up more from interacting with adults than interacting with kids my own age!" Temari giggled lightly at the boy.

"You're going to find that puts you in a better stead than many your age. Just keep an eye out on your friend, alright?" Temari ruffled Naruto's hair, causing the shorter blonde to protest.

"Why, because you like Sasuke more than me, huh?" Temari chuckled and suddenly sprinted ahead to catch up with the others.

"I don't know, but he definitely isn't as interesting as the most unexpected ninja ever!" Her voice carried back to him over her shoulder, and as what she said registered, Naruto paused for a second.

'Most unexpected ninja ever…perhaps I could add to that and make it a really cool title someday…' Suddenly, Naruto noticed how far ahead the rest of the group was, causing the boy to curse before flashing ahead to catch up.

"Don't fall behind Naruto, you'd be a real pain to have to come and pick up because your brain stopped working." Naruto scowled at Sasuke and just continued along in silence, further annoyed by Sasuke's slight 'hn' of satisfaction for getting the other boy's goat.

As the ninja fled through the darkness, the night slowly lifted from the land.

xXxXxXx

Minato sighed and fell into the Hokage chair, his last energy for staying awake fleeting from his form. 'I can see why the third liked to have this big comfortable chair in here…it almost makes the position worth it if you can just sit and relax in this for a little bit.' A knock at his door roused the powerful shinobi, making him groan a reply for his guest to enter. 'Who the hell is coming to my office at four in the morning of all times…'

Anko stepped into the room, a grim look set on her face. She walked right up to Minato, anger set into every line of her face.

"Anko, what are you doing here at four in the morning?" Anko's steps did not falter at the question, she just moved right up to the Hokage and smacked him resoundly across the face.

Minato was stunned for a second, but quickly found his voice, and turned angry eyes of his own back on the woman. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Shut up, that's the least you deserve for keeping her death from me!" That reply was not what Minato had expected. He turned to look at the door, sighing inwardly when he noticed that it was closed and the silencing seal had been placed across the frame. With that, his frame relaxed and he turned his gaze back to the now crying woman in front of him.

Tears streamed down Anko's cheeks in silent rivers, her eyes remaining open and filled with rage. "How did you find out about Kushina's death?" Minato's voice was hollow and flat, the last word causing Anko to grit her eyes closed and fall to her knees. "What led you to investigate her hospital room?" Sobs came from the woman on the floor, but she slowly raised her head to look the man in the eyes. In a moment, she had gathered herself and wiped the tears from her face.

"When you left for the council meeting, I questioned Yuugito about the glamour genjutsu she had used upon you. It was very powerful, but was apparently only staying active through the constant circulation of her chakra. When I applied restraining chakra bands, the glamour fell away completely, and she was immediately aware of having been put under a hypnosis technique when in Rice country. The Yamanaka's have hence narrowed down the identity of that man to Orochimaru, in possession of the Sharingan." The woman paused, her tears seeming to threaten to return. "But none of that tells me why you didn't damn well tell me about Kushina!" For the first time in a long time, Minato grew worried about the black marks that suddenly spread across Anko's face. The woman gasped and fell to her knees, clutching at her shoulder. In moments, the mark had passed and returned to normal.

"No one knows of Kushina's passing save for top ANBU operatives that I personally cleared, and top medical staff that Hiashi-san allowed to work on the medical ninjutsu and genjutsu techniques. I had to do so to prevent social and political unrest before the signing of the Tri-Village Treaty." Minato had moved down to help the woman up but she had jerked away, anger still burning in her eyes.

"None of that though has anything to do with not trusting me with this information! I loved her, maybe not as much as you did, but it's still true…She was the one who helped me the most after Orochimaru tossed me aside…" Her voice had started out angry, but had now quieted to barely more than a whisper. The glistening of new sets of tears hung on her eyelashes, begging to fall.

"I'm sorry Anko, but I could not risk a security breach of this information." Minato tried once again to reach out and help the woman up, and this time she acquiesced, allowing herself to be led to a chair where she could sit.

"Fat lot of help that did…Orochimaru still learned of Kushina's death and about the coming arrival of the Kumo ninja." Minato stiffened instantly, looking back over the last five minutes of information in a flash. His breath suddenly hitched and he fixed Anko with a fearful expression.

"What, all I said was that the snake bastard found out about what happened. We all know that there have to be leaks to him somewhere, right?" Minato shook his head, causing Anko to stare more, her brain starting to work through the mental gears of what had happened.

"All of the people that had been informed were cleared by me and Ibiki for ANBU, and similarly for the Hyuuga. But someone on the medical staff still found out about the situation. Which means, the mole for Orochimaru is probably somewhere within the medical staff of the hospital." Realization dawned in the special jonin's eyes, and she immediately jumped up and grabbed Minato by the arm.

"We have to find that person now, Minato. If they can tell us about Orochimaru after he just recently gained the Sharingan, we can move quickly enough to actually stop him from gaining too much power." Minato nodded and wrapped an arm around Anko's waist. His hand already grasped one of his Hirashin kunai, and he had them disappearing into the void before he could notice the light blush on Anko's cheeks.

xXxXxXx

Tonight was not a good night for Kabuto…He had overseen the interaction between Minato and Yuugito and had strengthened the glamour the whole time in order to ensure success. Then, just as Yuugito was poised to deliver the poison kiss that Kabuto had placed on her lips, Anko Mitarashi, that failed experiment, had shown up and ruined everything. 'We were so close to having the short-game destruction of the leaf become possible! Now I probably have to evacuate and leave before they discover who I really am…' Kabuto fled through the trees of Konoha, silently executing the two chuunin guards on duty with ease as he passed through one of the village's side gates. In an instant he was in the forest, heading out with all haste for Rice Country.

'I may have jumped the gun a little on leaving; it's entirely possible they still wouldn't have figured out that I was the mole. Even still, Minato Namikaze is not a man to be trifled with; killing him now is going to have to involve some outside power, as even Orochimaru-sama fears his abilities.' Turning an eye back toward his home of the last three years, Kabuto smiled ruefully at his lost chance of work. 'Things had been going so well too; from issuing that false order to capture a Hyuuga, to mentally controlling that Kumo ninja to kill Kushina, our plans had been moving flawlessly toward perfection. But whether that was the guidance of Orochimaru-sama or of Madara, I'm not quite sure. Still, it's a shame to leave an uncompleted job behind.' As Kabuto mused he noted lights flicking on in the hospital proper.

"Looks like they discovered me after all…good thing I left a mess of things there so that it will take them a while to catch up." Turning Kabuto leaped through the trees, his feet already bidding him toward Rice Country. "Orochimaru-sama will be pleased at the changes in the world at least; things are finally starting to turn again after so many years of peace…"

xXxXxXx

**(Several Years Later)**

Naruto could barely keep his head up as he looked over the classroom. Last night he had a terrible dream about his mother again, and it had kept him up the whole night at Shikamaru's place. The blonde had chosen to sit in the back, up by the highest window, letting him look down over all the others. He noticed Sakura sitting in the middle area of the room, all the way up against the far wall. Sasuke was at the very front of the room, as always, and seemed to be focusing on his fingernails and trying to ignore the blushing and interested fan girls surrounding him. It honestly made Naruto sick, which was one reason why he always came to class late. It allowed him to avoid his fan-club and keep to himself. Added to that was the fact that Naruto chose a horrendous orange colored jumpsuit to keep the number of his fans to a minimum, unlike the fashionably dressed Uchiha. 'Still, you'd think that he'd wear something besides that outfit that Sakura picked for him way back when…but at least it goes with his sword.' Naruto adjusted his headband and stifled a yawn, fighting to keep his eyes open as Iruka walked in with the team placements.

"Alright, listen up for your team placements. All of you passed the exam, so you all will know be placed on teams and given missions to follow, is that understood?" Iruka looked over the class as he got a less than empathetic response to his call and sighed. It was always this way with his class, ever since the group started modeling themselves after the two biggest slackers, Naruto and Shikamaru. Both of them performed the bare minimum of class participation, never really acting on something unless Iruka forced them to care.

As Iruka called out the names, Naruto could barely force himself to care. Another year had passed, and he had graduated the academy at the regular age of twelve, much to his father's disappointment. 'Still, not like I care what the old man thinks…just because he graduated at age ten doesn't mean I have to…though honestly, I could have completed all of this stuff back before Mom died…' Naruto sank further into his funk, barely even catching the names being called out.

"Team Seven will be Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno and Naruto Namikaze" That got Naruto to perk up a bit. 'So, the whole gang is together huh? Guess dad was forced to do that since the three of us have been inseparable the last few years…' Naruto smiled a bit at that, remembering how Sakura had comforted the two of them after the return of the Konoha mission those many years ago. She had helped Naruto through the pain of losing his mother, and Sasuke through the pain of losing his older brother and most of his clan.

'She really is the only thing that held us all together…guess even dad can see that we needed her to keep going. Not like he cares now that he and Anko are settling down' Bile rose in Naruto's throat as he considered that, forcing himself look out the window in disdain. 'Mom hasn't even been gone that long and the guy is already settling down with a younger woman to boot! And then he wonders why I'm always staying over at Sasuke's or Sakura's, or even Shikamaru's place! The nerve of the man!' Naruto was well into one of his more infamous anger sessions now, his hands going white from their clenched fist grip.

Naruto came back to reality as he noticed a bunch of the other kids leaving. Looking around, he noticed that only Sasuke and Sakura were left in the room, and the boy sighed loudly breaking the silence. "Looks like our teacher abandoned us, huh?" Sasuke shot a look back at Naruto with a similarly chagrined expression, and then shrugged.

"What else is new? Besides, if we have some spare time, I say we leave a little surprise for the stupid jonin!" Sasuke rolled his eyes, but Sakura stifled a small laugh in response. The girl moved from her seat at the top of the class down to the front row where Sasuke was sitting. She had on a simple pink battle dress with no sleeves, and knee length black short underneath. Her hair was cropped around her neck length and a new Konoha headband was strapped across the front of her forehead.

"Still, I'm glad I got paired with you two at least. I don't know what I would have done had I been stuck with Ino as she clamored on about boys and shopping." Sasuke smirked and laughed lightly to himself at this, catching Sakura's attention. "You know, you really could be nicer to her Sasuke, I mean, she does lead your fan-club and all." The girl ribbed him lightly in the side with her elbow, causing the boy to brush her off.

"Just because she leads my fan-club doesn't mean I have to be a fan of her. Besides, half the time I can barely tell if she wants to be with me or with Naruto." At the mention of his name, the blonde ninja shushed the other two as he carefully placed an eraser between the cracks of the sliding door. "She's way too obnoxious and loud, like most of the blonde's I know." Naruto shot Sasuke a dirty look as he walked over and sat next to the others.

Sakura laughed lightly and wrapped her arms around both of the boys' shoulders. "Won't she be jealous then with having both of you all to myself?" The two struggled to get out from under her grasp before Naruto got a mischievous grin in his eyes. The blonde reached over and startled tickling the pinkette, causing her to laugh and pull away. Normally, this would have been a perfect escape, but Sasuke had gone for the same thing as Naruto, and ended up tickling her chest instead. The girl blushed terribly, and then darkened into a mood of rage, turning on both of the perpetrators. "Oh Sasuke-kun…I think we need to have a talk about personal boundries…" Her voice was venom, and luckily it gave Naruto the chance to create a shadow clone for Sasuke to swap with. Sakura paused for a moment at this, and both boys took it as their chance to escape, quickly fleeing in opposite directions.

"This is all your fault Sasuke! Jeez, why do I stick my neck out for you sometimes, it doesn't even make any sense!" Naruto jumped over tables and chairs as the angered girl chased the two of them at top speed.

"Don't waste time talking Naruto, just run! If she catches either of us, we're in big trouble." Sasuke's face was an image of abject terror as he raced through the classroom, avoiding the wrath of his friend. Both of them knew, from personal experience, that an angered Sakura was the last thing anyone wanted chasing after them.

During their running around, they missed the quiet opening of the door and the drop of the eraser onto a clearly unaware jonin. Turning as one, they looked fairly farcical as Naruto held a struggling Sakura back from choking Sasuke. Still, all of this stopped as Sakura and Naruto turned as one and yelled at the silver haired ninja in standard garb. "HAH, YOU FELL FOR IT!" Sasuke had the decency to right his clothes before turning and smirking haughtily at the ninja.

The man paused for a second, rubbing his fingers along his chin. Naruto had never even seen this ninja before, but for some reason he felt like he knew him. It stood to reason that he would remember the guy though, that strange headband placed across one of his eyes. "Let me see, I'd have to say that my first impression of you guys is…" all of the gennin leaned forward to hear what he had to say "…I hate you." All three of the individuals glared daggers his way respectively, and the man sniggered inwardly a little. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out an orange little book and turned to leave the classroom. "Follow me, we're going to head to the roof and do some basic introductions." Naruto still felt like he recognized the guy from somewhere, and the orange book only furthered his suspicion.

Once they were all settled on the rooftop, the man sighed and put his book down, giggling a little as he did. "Alright then, why don't we start by introducing ourselves…you know, likes, dislikes, dreams for the future, hobbies, stuff like that…" all three of the gennin eyed the man wearily once more, but Sasuke shrugged and went first.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha, I like fried rice and salted meat, and I dislike candy or chocolate. My dream for the future is to lead the Uchiha clan once more to greatness, and to bring Madara Uchiha to justice for what he has done to this village," This caused the whole group to pause for a second and give Sasuke a strange glance. "My hobbies are Kendo and shuriken manipulation. I'm also a fire type, and have mastered several fire ninjutsu." The boy looked up for a moment as if remembering something. "I also have these to give to my teammates before we continue." The boy pulled out chakra slips, surprising everyone else. Naruto and Sakura remembered them from the far off birthday party, causing both of them to smile lightly.

The jonin for his part raised a single eyebrow, and motioned for them to continue. Sakura channeled a bit of chakra into the paper, and it soaked and dripped on her, causing her to drop it rather quickly in a gasp of surprise. Naruto took his and it split straight up the center. Sasuke gripped his expecting it to turn to ash, but was surprised when it indented sharply first before burning up in his grip.

"Well, I have to say, I'm starting to like this group a little bit…having access to chakra paper and learning your elements early on could make training you lot a bit more bearable. Tell me, how did you all do in your classes?" Sakura turned and looked at the man sharply, shaking her head.

"No way, not until you introduce yourself at least. Especially when you don't have the decency to know not to read book's like that in front of women." Her comment drew the attention of Naruto, who looked suddenly as if he had been hit with a two by four.

"I know who you are now! You're that perverted ninja Kakashi who always comes by whenever Uncle Jiraiya visits!" Turning a serious look towards Sakura, Naruto whispered conspiratorially with her. "This guy's the second biggest pervert I know, so whatever you do, don't let your guard down around him, alright?" Sakura nodded, and Sasuke fixed Kakashi with an even harsher glare than before. Putting his material safely back in his vest pocket, Kakashi sighed and turned to look all of them in the eyes.

"As Naruto here mentioned, my name is Kakashi Hatake, as for my likes and dislikes, that's nothing I'm sharing with any of you just yet…My dreams for the future…" the man paused as if deep in thought "…are also none of your concern, and I have many hobbies and pastimes". All three of the individual students in front of him face faulted at this, thinking along the same lines. 'He didn't tell us anything!'

Naruto sighed and ran his hands through his hair. The wind on the rooftop played with it lightly and the village behind him looked to be in full swing of life. "My name is Naruto Namikaze, though I prefer to go by Uzumaki if given the chance. My likes are ramen and candy, and my dislikes are perverts and people who never have time for those they care about. My hobbies are cooking and gardening, as they give me a chance to earn my keep when I stay at a friend's house. My specialties are shadow clone techniques, and high level explosive seals. I also like practicing difficult taijutsu styles that involve wielding talon kunai." Naruto paused to fix the jonin with a harsh stare. "My goals for the future are to punish all perverts excessively, and to become the greatest Hokage ever." Kakashi was a little struck by the diminutive shinobi's powerful determination, and patted his chest pocket absently to reassure himself of his book's safety.

"Guess that means I'm next. My name is Sakura Haruno, and my likes are dumplings and umeboshi. I dislike all food spicy and all men perverted. My goal for the future is to surpass the legendary Tsunade Senju in terms of medical ability, and to keep myself on par with Naruto and Sasuke. My hobbies are trivia games and needle-work. My current specialties are basic genjutsu and medical ninjutsu, as well as my own thread based trap jutsu." Her gaze took on a softer tone, with a bit of haughtiness behind her emerald green eyes. "And just so you know, I graduated top of the class, ahead of Sasuke. Naruto was ranked around the bottom since he never really tried, the idiot." Naruto smirked slightly and ducked his head blushing a bit.

"Sounds like I have a rather strong team of gennin then…I hope you make it through tomorrow's test." All of the other's snapped up at this, worry registering in their eyes.

"Oh, so Iruka didn't tell you huh? All of the jonin give one final test to the graduating rookies. Only a third or so of the teams usually make it through, and it really depends on the person giving the test." Kakashi was thankful for his mask as it allowed him to keep a relatively straight face while smiling so much sometimes.

"How hard is your test?" Sasuke was the one asking, and had a hard look set in his onyx eyes.

"Well for the last nine teams I've tested…none have passed." Fear definitely played through all of them, save Sasuke, whose look only became more determined. "If you still want to risk it, you could show up early tomorrow, around eight, at training ground forty four…" Kakashi couldn't help but starting to laugh at the looks on all of their faces. "I always love how much rookies flip out when they hear about the test. Well, the papers are there for it, so I'll see you tomorrow I guess." The jonin handed out the slips of paper and turned to leave.

"Oh and one last thing; if you don't want to throw up, you should skip breakfast." With that, the mysterious man disappeared into a puff of smoke, his orange book out and giggling as he left.

xXxXxXx

Okay, so I know this was bit of a surprise transition from one story arc to the next. Sorry for the abruptness of it, but I felt as a writer, that I did not have the skill to adequately lead you through the changes I had planned in real time. I find the use of flashbacks much easier to work with, so I'm going to employ them here to explain the development of the three main characters over the time skipped years, rather than lead you through them. I do this both for the sake of the work, and for my own sanity. I have so many ideas about how I want to change the storyline once we get to the team being gennin that I just had to get on with the waiting. I hope I've left enough mystery about the possible changes in the world, as well as left some hidden things to work from when developing the flashback sets for this new world.

That being said, I would like to thank all of the avid fans out there. I know it took forever for me to finish this arc, but I would like to assure you that I will be returning (though probably not till sometime in the summer) to continue this story of their development and training as Team Kakashi. Expect my return sometime around June 15th or so, but until then I hope you've enjoyed the story and leave a review or two. I'll be continuing this story as a sequel that will be titled "The Death of the Fourth Hokage" and it will lead us up to and through the Chuunin exams as well as finding the fifth Hokage. Do not expect it to directly involve Minato's death though; wanted to give that as a heads up here. The death that will occur is going to be more emotional than physical, and that's all I'm saying on it. Hope to see the hits returning around June when the next story is started and for those that have stuck with me throughout this process, thanks for the help along the way! As always, read and review!


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